Redemption of Brothers
by buddyboy122
Summary: What would happen if a major part of the Naruto timeline gets changed? How will this change people and events? A story about the fall of characters and their own redemption. NaruHina, with other pairings. Chapter 20 up!
1. Prelude

The woods were a busy place this time of year. The wind blew, softly swaying the trees it passed by, and creating the new falling leaves to dance in wild patterns as they descended on the earth of the last remaining section of the Konoha Forest. All the rest of it had been destroyed or defiled by Orochimaru. As the leaves swiveled and twisted down to the earth, the woodland animals moved about, preparing for the winter season ahead. The squirrels gathered their nuts, birds began flocking together to prepare for their long journey. Yet one thing in the forest stayed still. Shockingly still, actually, as it contrasted with the moving background.

A young man wearing a large straw hat sat up against a tree with his head down, seemingly asleep. The young man seemed to be frozen in time forever. He never moved, never seemed to breath, and was the only still thing in the forest.

But suddenly, his head snapped up, instantly alert. He sniffed the air once, and lazily heaved his way up into a standing position. He leaned up against the same tree he had been resting upon moment before, crossed his arms, and again regained his frozen pose.

"You can come out now" he calmly said, no, commanded of the forest around him. When there was no reply, he simply chuckled and continued his relaxed position on his tree.

"I said you can come out. Hurry before I lose my patience with you Itachi!"

Two figures dropped out of the tree behind him, and cautiously approached. Itachi stepped forward. "We've come to offer you a proposition Naruto," said Itachi, as he gave a slight bow, never removing his eyes from Naruto.

Naruto turned and removed his straw hat in a respective manner, finally revealing his appearance. His shocking blonde hair had stayed the same, spiky as ever. He looked to be around 23, but if one looked at his face alone, his eyes would say he was middle aged. His eyes, the same electric blue, had lost something. After seeing so much death and destruction in the one place that he loved and had loved ones, his eyes no longer held the hope that they had contained when he was a young, naïve boy of 13. He was well built, but not exceptionally tall.

But what was most interesting about his appearance was the way he incorporated those who were dear to him to his appearance. His old teacher, Kakashi, had contributed his sense of style to Naruto. Naruto wore a mask over the lower half of his face, and his forehead protector also covered one of his eyes. His forehead protector too, was given to him by a loved one. It was the forehead protector of the late legendary sannin, Jiraiya. From Rock Lee, Naruto's arms were covered by bandages. From Tsunade, her precious necklace hung from his neck. But his most distinct characteristic came from Sasuke.

Sasuke had escaped from Orochimaru's lair, after Orochimaru had attempted to take his body. He returned to Konoha, and after a few conflicts, Naruto and Sasuke had resolved their differences, finally openly regarding each other as brothers and rivals, both pushing the other to be greater. To show this bond, Sasuke had given Naruto something of his that would forever show their bond. One of his Sharingan eyes.

"And what kind of proposition would that be, Itachi?" yawned Naruto, only half interested with this conversation. All he really wanted to do was get back to his well deserved slumber. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you for helping Orochimaru invade Konoha."

"Errm, yes, we are _very_ sorry about that…please, hear us out," apologized Kisame quickly.

"Hm, I'm sure you are sorry about helping that snake bastard aren't you? Especially because he betrayed you too in the end, didn't he?" Naruto sighed. "You guys are really cutting into my resting time. But I guess that's unavoidable. Tell me, what do you want?"

"We have come to offer you…"

"Yes, I know, a proposition, now get on with it"

"Well, we….remaining Akatsuki, have found a way to change the very fabric of our world, and we were, ah, hoping you might help us."

"Help you? Explain, and quickly, I don't have all day. Well, not for this conversation at least."

"In essence, we have found a way to change the past and…."

"Change the past?" inquired Naruto, suddenly interested in the conversation. Naruto had lost much in his life. He remembered when all of his friends died. Kakashi, captured and tortured to death by Orochimaru himself. Jiraiya, killed by Kabuto as he tried to slow him down for Naruto to escape. Rock Lee, sacrificing himself by opening the eight celestial gates to defeat the demon snake that Orochimaru had unleashed upon Konoha. Tsunade, killed by a poisoned dagger, poisoned by a drug that only Tsunade herself could have remedied. And Sasuke, dying in the final, desperate battle for Konoha by Naruto's side, vowing that he would always remember Naruto as a brother.

"Yes, change the past," said Itachi, interrupting Naruto's flashback. "The jutsu send the user back through time to the point of his or her choice, allowing him to alter the very past, thus changing the future, for better or for worse."

"And," began Naruto, very curious, "Why exactly do you need MY help?"

"The jutsu requires an enormous amount of chakra, exponential amounts, amounts I can't even dream of. And the only person who has that kind of chakra is you Naruto."

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This is Buddyboy, speaking to you from the future. OOOOOOOh, spooky, right? Well, I just want to give you some insight into the workings of this fic. First of all, the chapters will get longer. Much longer. Second of all, this is a story about redemption. And for one to get redemption, one must fall as well. So don't be surprised to see characters do things that they might not do in canon. There will be Sakura/Sasuke/Kakashi bashing, but the entire theme of this story is the redemption of characters, so please, try to read it through and if you're still not satisfied, THEN you can flame me.

Thanks, future Buddyboy


	2. Chapter 1: Valley of the End

I do not own Naruto

First fic, please be nice! Uh, might have pairings, always been a fan of NaruHina, but hey, if you have a preference, vote or something…I don't know.

Thx for all the reviews! It really made my day! And without further ado….

Chapter One

"This place….is called the Valley of the End. Isn't this the perfect stage? Right Naruto?" taunted Sasuke as they stood on opposite sides of the waterfall at the Valley of the End. "That's right. I said the time for talk is over. This battle…lets finish this now!" (A/N: This little dialogue sequence is directly from the anime, just don't want to take credit that's not due…)

They both began to charge up their ultimate jutsus, preparing to end the battle with a bang. A blue orb appeared in Naruto's hand, and a dark lightning began to strike outwards from Sasuke's palm. They both leapt at each other, unimaginable power held in both of their hands.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

As the two attacks collided, Naruto began to doubt himself. _I…I can't kill Sasuke…I promised Sakura...how could I ever show my face to Sakura-chan again if I kill him?_

"**Human, your incessant whining annoys me. No matter how much your precious "Sakura-chan" will be hurt; the black haired one will die today. I'm not about to get killed because some pink haired wimp will be sad. You humans and your emotions…pitiful."**

_Kyuubi! Don't kill him! You can't! You…won't!_ Naruto fought an internal battle against Kyuubi's influence. An internal battle that Naruto eventually won against his more ruthless counterpart. But this battle caused Naruto to lose control of what he was doing, allowing Sasuke to pierce his lung with his Chidori. However, in the process, Naruto's Rasengan flew towards Sasuke's head.

_No! I've got to…stop…the chakra flow to my hand…There! _ The Rasengan dissipated, and Naruto's claw slashed a single mark through, rather than obliterating, the symbol of the Hidden Village that they had both grown up in.

**I hate you humans…this is going to be a pain in the ass to keep you from dying you pathetic excuse for a ninja. That is, if the raven haired boy doesn't finish you here and now, which would be the smart thing to do…and another thing…**

Naruto let the demon in him continue to complain while he drifted out of consciousness.

Sasuke stood over the defeated Naruto with a shimmer of regret. He looked at his friend as he lay lifeless on the ground with a sizeable hole in his chest where his lung should have been. _Naruto...why did you have to make this so hard? NO! I can't think like that. I…am still weak. But...Orochimaru will change that. I WILL get power. You just wait Itachi. I...I...hate you Naruto. Always meddling in affairs that are none of your concern. You're next after my brother._

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a presence behind him and instinctively jumped to the side. A man wearing a straw hat flew by, holding in front of him a startling attack.

_The Rasengan? But...but...how? Who is this man?_

"Identify yourself!" commanded Sasuke, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

The man's only response was to shift into a taijutsu stance that Sasuke had never encountered before.

_Well, if it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he's going to get!_

Sasuke slid into his own taijutsu stance, still tired from his battle with Naruto. _I have to finish this fast, I won't be able to fight at a high level for very long...I hope this guy isn't very good, otherwise I'm in trouble..._ Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

"You should know who you're dealing with before we fight! I am one of the only two remaining Uchiha! Be prepared to battle with the Sharingan!" cried Sasuke confidently. The three marks circled around his pupil.

Again, the man stayed silent, but reached for his forehead protector. When he lifted it up, Sasuke's eye's widened in surprise.

_A...a...Sharingan eye! But...how! _"I don't know where you got that, but I WILL kill you!" shouted Sasuke as he dashed towards the man, his rage getting the better of him.

The man stayed completely still, until Sasuke was almost directly upon him. He sidestepped Sasuke's kick, and delivered on of his own, swinging his foot from above Sasuke, crushing him into the earth, leaving a crater.

_Shit...this is bad... _Sasuke quickly rose, only to be kicked into the ground the same way before he could move out of the way, deepening the crater. _Extremely bad._

The man stood impassively above the prostrate form of Sasuke, and lifted his right hand. He made some one handed seals with his left hand, and thrust his hand towards Sasuke. It connected with his neck, more accurately, Sasuke's curse seal, causing him to scream in agony as it was forcibly removed. Sasuke slumped down to the ground, darkness engulfing his field of vision.

"Who…are…you? Where do you get…your power?" muttered Sasuke with his last piece of energy.

"That should do it..." muttered the older Naruto. "You were such an idiot back then…err, now, err…whatever…"

Suddenly Naruto's arm began to fade.

"Ah, there we go. History has been changed. And I am beginning to cease to…" And with that, he was gone, leaving two exhausted genin lying at the Valley of the End.


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome Home?

Sorry, no update in a while, been swamped with schoolwork and such. I'm not really satisfied with how this chapter turned out, but it's a lot better than the first draft…

I really love reading your reviews, keep it up!

I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 2

Trees blurred as Kakashi raced through the forest to reach the incredible burst of chakra he had felt moments before. Actually, felt is too weak of a word to describe what he had just felt. It was like a massive explosion of power, power Kakashi had never seen or felt before.

_I just hope I'm not too late…I don't know how long Naruto can stand up against Sasuke…He's always been so much weaker than Sasuke..._

As Kakashi came into the clearing by the Valley of the End, he audibly gasped at what he saw. Craters in the massive stone statues, craters in the ground, blood spilled on the earth (most of it Naruto's), and finally, two small genin lying unconscious on the ground.

_Oh Kami! How could they have done this much damage? Sasuke!_

Kakashi sped down to the ground, inspecting the prostrate Sasuke. He lifted him up on his shoulder and sped off in a blur.

_I've got to get Sasuke to the hospital as fast as possible! There's no time to lose!_

Meanwhile, Gaara of the Desert along with Rock Lee were returning to Konoha, after their epic battle with the leader of the sound squad, when they saw a figure flash by them.

"Kakashi?" pondered Lee, dumbfounded. "What is Kakashi doing way out here?"

"He was carrying something. Or someone," said Gaara, completely nonchalant. "But it was only one person…"

"Who was he carrying though?"

"I have no clue, looked like he had black hair," Gaara sighed, annoyed at Lee's inquiries.

"It must have been Sasuke! Naruto beat him! THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH PREVAILS!"

"If Naruto beat him…where is he?"

2 Hours Later

"Let me get this straight. First, you arrived at the Valley of the End. Then, you find Sasuke and Naruto lying on the ground, injured and unconscious. Then you grab Sasuke, and rush him back to the hospital, leaving NARUTO LYING AT THE VALLEY OF THE END WITH A HOLE IN HIS CHEST!" screamed Tsunade, cocking back one of her fists ready to obliterate Kakashi who cowerd in a chair across from a very angry Hokage.

Kakashi had gotten Sasuke to the hospital, and the doctors were able to diagnose him with severe chakra depletion, broken ribs, and a broken back, seemingly from two severe blows to the back. Also, to the confusion of many of the doctors that inspected Sasuke, the curse seal had mysteriously disappeared. Rock Lee and Gaara of the Desert had returned half an hour after Kakashi had arrived, hauling behind them a severely bleeding Uzumaki Naruto, suffering from severe chakra burns, chakra depletion, a broken arm, his chakra system completely destroyed, and the obvious, a gaping hole in his chest, puncturing his lung.

Kakashi twitched, bracing himself for a crushing blow that didn't come.

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry?" Kakashi apologized to Tsunade.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it this time Kakashi. I'm taking your team away. It's obvious you have screwed them up enough already. You will be assigned a new team of genins. One WITHOUT anyone that you can screw up," Tsunade said with ice in her voice. "I will take Sakura as my apprentice, Naruto will study under Jiraiya, and Sasuke will be under probation indefinitely until I can figure out what I want to do with him."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," Kakashi muttered as he bowed. He had actually gotten off quite easily this time.

"That's Hokage-sama to you. Now get out of my sight," Tsunade said with a dismissive waive of her hand.

As Kakashi left, Tsunade began to think.

_Naruto…the whole world seems to be stacked against you, doesn't it?_

Tsunade looked out her window and gazed out at the sun setting just beyond the horizon of Konoha as she meditated on these things.

Sakura sat at the side of Sasuke in the hospital, gazing at his face. He was still unconscious, and Sakura had been by his side ever since she had met Kakashi at the gates, tending to Sasuke's wounds as fast as she had ever worked.

_Damn you Naruto. Why did you hurt him so much? I asked you to bring him back to me, not send him back to me in a box! How could you do something like this to him! To me! You broke your promise! I will NEVER forgive you! Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuun!_

Inside of Sasuke's Mind

_I hate Sakura _(A/N: I kinda hate Sakura. She's a whiny )

2 days later

"Sasuke-kun! Now that you're out of the hospital, we can go get something to eat together! Or go to a movie together!" Sakura cooed as she jumped joyously at the thought of her and Sasuke on her dream date.

"Get off of me," commanded Sasuke coldly as he brushed her off of his arm.

"But…but…Sasuke-kun! Why won't you go out with me?" questioned Sakura, tears almost coming to her eyes.

"I want to see Naruto," he replied plainly.

"Why Naruto? After what he did to you? I would want revenge if I were you!"

"Revenge is no longer my priority. I just…I just want to talk to him"

"Talk to him about what?"

"Just…leave me alone."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, and watched Sasuke's back as he walked away with his hands in his pockets.

_If you don't want revenge on Naruto, then I'll have to get it myself._

**Hey Kid! Wake up idiot! You are one lucky little human, you know that? Not only was I able to repair the chakra vessels in your body, but I was able to repair most of the damage to your body too. Those stupid doctors were so confused when the hole in your chest started to close up. You humans are just stupid as a whole, you know that?**

_Hey…fuzzball…how about shutting up? I feel like someone dropped a boulder on my head. And on my arms and on my legs and on my stomach and on…_

**Call me a fuzzball again and you'll regret it.**

_You're so cute Mr. Fuzzball! Yes you are! Yeees you are! What now you fuzzy fuzzy fuzzballl?_

**Have I told you I hate you today?**

_Not yet, I just woke up._

**Well I hate you.**

_I love you too fuzzball._

**I hope you die.**

_Then you would die too silly!_

**Damn.**

And that was the last Naruto heard from Kyuubi for a while, as someone had just barged into his hospital room.

"Naruto? You're awake? YOU'RE AWAKE!" yelled Tsunade as she launched herself at Naruto on his hospital bed.

"GAH! OBAACHAN! IT HURTS! GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Whoops, sorry Naruto, I got carried away. It's just so good to see you awake!"

"It's good to be awake Granny Tsunade"

"Well Naruto, you should be fine by tomorrow, Kyuubi is healing you at extremely high speeds. I want to see you tomorrow morning as soon as possible for your assignment"

"Assignment? What kind of assignment? Is it a really hard mission?"

"You'll see tomorrow, now get some rest Naruto" chuckled Tsunade as she walked out to check on her next patient.

Meanwhile

Sasuke sat at the pier where he had learned Katon: Goukakyuu no justu alone. He looked out at the water, and thought about what had happened just a few days ago.

_How did you get so strong dobe?_

Sakura lie on her bed, covered in a pink bedspread. (A/N: any surprise there? Maybe I should have made it brown just to be different…)

_How can I make you as miserable as you've made me Naruto? How can I wipe that stupid grin off of your stupid face? Let's see…_

Hooray! Hope you liked it, read and review as always!


	4. Chapter 3: Continued Showdown

Hey again guys, thanks for all of your reviews! They doubled!

For those of you who don't like some things I'm doing right now cough cough NewSon cough cough, don't worry, I have a plan for all of this. You'll have to endure some Sakura bashing for a while, if it irritates you…I don't know, but I'll try to lighten up.

Naruto4051- He's gone. Plain and simple. Sad to see such a cool guy disappear tho…

Without any further ado, Chapter 3!

Chapter 3

"Uzumaki Naruto? Hmmm…Uzumaki Naruto…oh, here he is. He's in room 146."

"Hm" Sasuke replied coldly without even looking up. He walked by the receptionist into the hallway with his hands in his pockets as he made his way towards room 146. He had some questions that needed answering.

_Kids these days, no manners anymore…_thought the receptionist with a glare to Sasuke's back.

He entered Naruto's room, only to find him fast asleep. He was sprawled out over the sheets, snoring loudly and drooling onto the floor. Sasuke walked over to Naruto's bedside and unceremoniously dumped the glass of water on the bed stand onto Naruto's head.

"Agh! What the…eh? Sasuke?" blurted out Naruto as he jumped up from his deep slumber.

"Oy Naruto" replied Sasuke, as cold as usual.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?"

"I…wanted to ask you something." Sasuke paused. "I wanted to know…where your power comes from. How are you so strong?"

"I…I…I guess it's because of my friends. I will do anything for them, because that's my way of the Ninja!"

"No Naruto. You and I both know that's not how you beat me. How are you so powerful Naruto? How did you surpass me?"

"Sasuke, I really don't even remember beating you…all I remember is everything going red, and then later pain in my chest…"

"I don't remember the fight completely either. But you still did beat me"

"…."

"What aren't you telling me Naruto?"

"…."

Sasuke glared at Naruto who only looked down at his lap, silent and motionless as stone.

"Meet me on the roof."

Naruto looked up, but Sasuke was gone. He jumped off his bed, and tested his legs. Finding them to be fully healed, he went over to his window and opened it.

_Obaachan won't like it if I leave my room, so I'll have to sneak out_

He gracefully jumped out of the window and adhered to the outside wall using the tree climbing method he had learned with Sasuke so long ago. He walked up the wall, and finally reached the roof. He leaped up and landed behind Sasuke who just kept his back to him.

"What's all this about Sasuke?"

"Naruto…we never got to finish our fight up here. We were…interrupted…"

Flashback

_Naruto leapt up towards Sasuke holding his Rasengan in front of him, ready to meet Sasuke's Chidori. They were both so entranced with defeating the other that neither noticed Sakura running towards the two destructive attacks until it was too late._

_At that moment, a blur raced in between them and swung their two attacks off target. It was Kakashi. Both attacks left their marks in the water towers that they struck, but Sasuke was proud that his made much more damage than Naruto's. Or so he thought._

_As he was leaving the fight, he noticed that Naruto's strange chakra attack had left a huge eruption on the opposite side of the tower, putting the damage from Sasuke's Chidori to shame._

End Flashback

Sasuke slid into his fighting stance as Naruto looked on dumbly.

"Come Naruto"

-----------------------------------

"Tsunade-sama! Uzumaki Naruto is missing from his hospital room!"

"Huh? Wuzzat?" slurred Tsunade, still groggy from her peaceful sleep.

Shizune continued at here frantic pace. "Tsunade-sama! Uchiha Sasuke visited Naruto this morning…and now their both missing!"

"What! Get an ANBU team on it right now!"

"Isn't that a little…excessive?"

"Last time this fight happened, Kyuubi almost manifested. No, this is definitely NOT excessive. Let's just hope those two don't kill each other before we find them"

--------------------------------

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Ten Naruto clones appeared around Sasuke and prepared to rush in all at once. But Sasuke had other ideas.

"You can't fool the Sharingan eye Naruto!" he screamed as he rushed towards a Naruto behind him. He relaxed a bit when he felt his hand hit solid flesh, instead of it making contact and then passing straight through the smoke. He was very relieved, as, Sasuke was not as confident as he sounded. His Sharingan was not truly capable of discerning clones from the real thing, but he took a lucky guess.

After he struck the real Naruto, the remaining clones sprung at Sasuke. He sucked in a deep breath and performed the jutsu he had learned as a small child.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

The remaining clones were blown away by the intense flames created by the fireball that Sasuke had created. However, as Sasuke turned around, he saw yet another army of clones rushing at him. Yet again, he repelled them.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

A wall of smoke and dust were all that remained in front of him. Suddenly, from behind the thick curtain of cloud leapt a figure holding out a shining blue orb.

"Rasengan!" yelled Naruto as he drove his hand towards Sasuke.

Sasuke, caught completely off guard, took a step backwards and held his arms out in a defensive position, and closed his eyes, preparing for the impact. The impact that never came.

Sasuke opened his eyes and saw a large blue orb inches away from his face, and Naruto's arm being held back by a tall ANBU in a bird mask. Naruto looked up at him, then at Sasuke, and immediately released his technique.

"Hokage-sama wishes to see you Uzumaki Naruto"

----------------------

"Hello Naruto"

"What is it Tsunade? You ruined my fight with Sasuke!" Internally, Naruto was actually glad that his fight had been stopped, as he had almost taken the battle too far. Had the ANBU been one second later, Sasuke's head would have been blown off.

"I have a new mission for you Naruto"

"Yahoo! What kind of mission? Is it a super hard double S rank mission? Please let it be extra hard!" squealed Naruto as he leapt forward and screamed straight into Tsunade's ear.

"Don't get too excited just yet Naruto" Tsunade cautioned as she gave Naruto a folder containing the mission details. Naruto eagerly took it and continued to whine.

"Why not? What kind of mission…a training mission? With Ero-sennin?"

"Yes Naruto"

"But…but…why! I want to go fight Orochimaru…and plus…" leaning over, Naruto continued in a hushed tone, "Ero-sennin is just weird"

"Heh…you really should give him a little more respect…but yes. Jiraiya can be a little…eccentric. But right now, he's the only one that can train you"

"But why Jiraiya! Why can't I get a good sensei?"

Tsunade paused and rested here head on her two folded hands. She had to use her trump card.

"Jiraiya trained the Fourth"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. He paused, thought, and opened his mouth again. But again, no words came out. Finally, he was able to talk.

"Wh-when do we leave?"


	5. Chapter 4: Preparations

Sorry these are taking so long! I just want to get them just right, and I've really been swamped with school work…

We'll get right into it this time; hope you like it; read and review as always!

Chapter 4

"You leave in tomorrow Naruto. Will that be enough time for you to pack your things and say your goodbyes?"

Naruto stared at her, his eyes still a little glossed over and his mouth slightly agape. He still couldn't believe that he was going to be trained by the man who trained The Fourth! He shook his head to clear his mind and tried to loosen his tongue that had failed him thus far.

"H-hai! Frankly Tsunade-obaachan, I don't really have many things to pack! Or many people to say goodbye to…" Naruto trailed off, looking down, and Tsunade could see the light pink hue of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"What about Iruka? From what I've heard, you two have really gotten close"

"That's right! Iruka will definitely want to hear about my awesome training mission!"

"And I'm sure there are…other…people that would want to say goodbye to you" Tsunade mentioned offhandedly, thinking of a certain shy, blue-haired girl that would definitely want to wish Naruto a farewell.

"Eh? Who Tsunade?" asked Naruto, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm sure all of the rookie nine will miss you"

Naruto looked at Tsunade suspiciously, but turned away and walked out of the room. His head was buzzing with thoughts as he made his way to his modest apartment. He wondered who it was that Tsunade thought would miss him. He wondered what kind of training he would get from Jiraiya. He wondered if it would be the same kind that the Fourth had received. Basically, he wondered.

Naruto was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he ran into someone on the street and knocked them down.

"Oh! I'm so sorry…" he mumbled as he snapped out of his trance. "Oh, ohayo Hinata!" he waved cheerfully as he held out his hand to aid her.

"Oha...Ohayo Naruto-kun" stammered Hinata. She took his hand blushing furiously and rose to her feet.

"Sorry about that Hinata! I guess I'm just clumsy…" laughed Naruto, flashing his trademark grin.

Seeing Naruto's smile always made Hinata happy for some reason. As shy and bashful as she was, she couldn't help but to smile right back at Naruto.

"Say, Hinata…would you miss me if I were gone for a long time?" asked Naruto, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed that he even asked the question.

"Of…of course Naruto-kun!" blurted Hinata, a little more direct than usual. After that outburst, she blushed and covered her mouth with the sleeves of the thick jacket she always wore.

"Ahaha…thanks Hinata! Say…" started Naruto, pondering what he was about to say. He was still ashamed that the only person that might really want to say goodbye to him was Iruka…well, Iruka and Hinata now. "You want to go get some ramen?"

Hinata looked up suddenly and looked into his face.

"You…you want me to come eat with you?"

"Yeah! Sure, why not? I could use some more friends…" Naruto trailed off, the last part very quiet, too himself. However, it wasn't quiet enough to hide it from Hinata.

"What do you mean?"

"Heh…well, I was thinking about who would really miss me if I was gone, and all I could really think of was Iruka…" confessed Naruto sadly. "And well…I was thinking that maybe you would be my friend too"

"Me?"

"Yeah! You're as good as anyone!" At that, Hinata's head dropped. Seeing this reaction, Naruto quickly retracted his statement.

"Gah! No, not like that Hinata! I'm so sorry; I really didn't mean it like that! Ah, I'm so stupid! Baka! Baka!" he yelled as he pounded his palm into his forehead.

Hinata looked up into his cerulean eyes and felt an amazing sense of comfort fill her body. That's why she liked Naruto so much. He gave her so much confidence and comfort just my looking her way, or with his smile or even with his words.

"No, I understand Naruto. Sure I'll come eat with you" Hinata said happily. Unknown to him, one of her fantasies had come true_. Wow! I can't believe Naruto-kun actually wants me to eat with him! Is this a date? Will he kiss me? What will I say?_

"Come on Hinata!" yelled Naruto as he grabbed her hand and led her towards his favorite food stand, breaking her train of thought. Now, the only thing she could think about was her hand in his. She turned red, and was even stammering in her thoughts.

_H-he j-just grabbed my h-hand!_ Another one of her fantasies had come true. True, it wasn't the two of them strolling around Konoha hand in hand and chatting amiably with each other, but it was close enough.

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2 Hours Later

Naruto scrunched his face up, thinking, which Hinata apparently found hilarious.

"Okok, I think I've got it now. Your dad is…Hiashi-sama…your cousin is Neji…and your sister…gah! This is so hard!" Hinata giggled into her hands as Naruto failed for the seventh straight time.

"Ha…" hinted Hinata.

"Haa…..taro?"

"Han…"

"Haaaannn…taro?"

"Hana…."

"Oh! Yeah! I remember! Hanataro!"

"Naruto-kun!"

"Haha, just kidding Hinata-chan! It's Hanabi, I remember now!" laughed Naruto. Hinata would have laughed too, but all she could think about was how he had called her "Hinata-chan".

"So Hinata, now that I know your family member's names, tell me a little about them"

"O-oh…ok. W-well, my father is very strict. He m-makes me fight my sister…"

"Hanataro!" Hinata gave him a stern look, and Naruto stopped laughing. After a five second pause, they both burst out laughing, holding their sides because it hurt so much.

"Hahaha! You should call your sister that Hinata-chan!" After both of their fits of laughter had subsided, Naruto went back to the previous conversation.

"Ok, what about your father making you fight your sister?" Naruto had to focus extra hard not to laugh, because every time he thought of Hinata's sister, he thought of Hanataro.

"O-oh, yeah. I…I've never beaten her…" Hinata said, looking down, ashamed to tell the one she admired all of her failures. "I-I'm just too weak…"

"No you're not Hinata-chan!" Naruto interrupted. "I know that you are a lot stronger than you think you are Hinata! I remember how strong you were in the chunnin preliminaries against Neji!"

"But…I lost Naruto-kun!"

"That doesn't matter Hinata, power isn't all about winning and losing fights. You stood up to him, and didn't surrender, no matter how badly the odds were stacked against you! That's real power"

Hinata looked up after hearing his words and was again comforted by his words. She could feel her insecurities melting away and confidence bubbling up insider her.

"Th-thank you Naruto-kun"

"Don't thank me, Hinata-chan, it's true!" As he said his final words, he held up his thumb and gave her his best good guy pose.

Naruto stood up and paid for both of their meals, which surprised old man Ichiraku. Of course, she had only had one bowl compared to Naruto's twelve, so there wasn't that big of a difference in his payment.

"Hey, Hinata, can I tell you a secret?"

"What is it Naruto-kun?" Hinata was very impressed with herself, as she had become more comfortable with Naruto. So much so that her stutter only appeared in a small portion of her sentences.

"Well you see, I'm going on this super cool training mission with Ero-sennin tomorrow! I can't wait!"

Hinata looked a little worried. "When will you be back Naruto-kun?" After getting closer to Naruto, she didn't want to lose their friendship because of a long training mission.

"Heh, I really don't know…I guess I should have asked Tsunade-obaachan that, huh?"

"Ano, since you don't know how long you'll be gone, you should pack as if it were a long trip"

"Great idea Hinata! You're so smart!" At this, Hinata began to blush again and poke her index fingers together.

"A-Ano, Naruto, I-I think I better go home now…"

"Eh? Really? Well, ok…I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Will you be there to see me off?"

"H-Hai!" She then ran off, leaving Naruto by himself, trying to think of what to do to prepare for his training mission.

_Hmmm…what does someone need on a long trip? Lets see…I'll need money, clothes, food, weapons…Actually, food shouldn't be a problem, Ero-sennin won't let me starve. And I have my shuriken and kunai, and I'm really not going to be able to get anymore money…I guess that leaves clothes…_

Naruto looked at himself in a mirror in a store window. He had always liked his bright orange jumpsuits because they made people notice him. He always had a longing for attention, and his clothes definitely gave him that. But now was different. He was going to get the attention of Jiraiya. That was the entire purpose of the mission. So now he had no use for the gaudy outfit that screamed for attention.

Naruto entered a ninja outfitting store, and came out a changed ninja. Almost no one would be able to recognize him, except for his very distinguishable yellow hair. He wore long, black, loose fitting pants which allowed his legs full, unrestrained movement. The pants had thin orange lines running in intricate designs down the sides of his legs. He also had on a black tight fitting long sleeve shirt, showing off his muscles that were often hidden by his baggy jumpsuit. Over the shirt was a thin vest which acted as a layer of body armor that would do little against something powerful, but could stop most shuriken and weakly thrown kunai. It would also do wonders against body hits in taijutsu. On the back of the vest, Naruto insisted that the owner put the logo that was on the back of his old jumpsuit, no matter how much the store owner protested. But perhaps the most surprising part of his new outfit was his black mask that covered the bottom half of his face, leaving only the top half of his nose and his eyes peeking out from between the mask and his forehead protector. He had always liked the way Kakashi looked, and he imitated the mask, but tried to keep the other things original.

_Now this is more like it_, Naruto thought, looking back at the mirror he had inspected himself in just minutes before. He almost didn't recognize himself. Now he couldn't wait to train. But that would have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Naruto made his way through the crowd, noticing that many people gave him curious looks, and he realized they didn't even realize it was him. This gave him some sort of happiness, as he knew that this would mean at least a few weeks of not being called a "monster" or "demon".

Naruto finally came to his apartment and fell on his bed. The second his head hit the pillow, he was sound asleep, preparing for his big day.

End Chapter 4

Hopefully the chapters will come out a little faster now, because I'm grounded. Stupid English!

R&R as always please!


	6. Chapter 5: A Discovery

There's something strange happening. I was checking my stats, cuz I'm weird like that and I care about stuff like that, but yeah. Check this out.

Chapter 1: 4 Reviews, 1459 Hits

Chapter 2: 4 Reviews, 797 Hits

Chapter 3: 7 Reviews, 700 Hits

Chapter 4: 4 Reviews, 510 Hits

Chapter 5: 3 Reviews, 272 Hits

Hmmm….odd, don't you think? Any reason why my hits are decreasing at a rapid pace? Is it the story? Am I doing something wrong? Does the story suck? Is it moving too slowly? Am I posting the next chapter at the wrong time of day, and people don't see it? AAAAAAAAAAAAH! Sigh. This is disconcerting.

Ok, just to clarify this next chapter, this all takes place on the same day that Naruto did all that stuff last chap.

Read and Review PLEASE! I can always count on Maye Uchiha to review for me! thumbs up

Chapter 5

Sakura's POV (A/N: Betcha almost forgot about her, eh?)

"You leave in tomorrow Naruto. Will that be enough time for you to pack your things and say your goodbyes?"

"H-hai! Frankly Tsunade-obaachan, I don't really have many things to pack! Or many people to say goodbye to…"

Sakura had her head flush with the door to the Hokage's office and was eavesdropping on the conversation between Naruto and Tsunade.

_Tomorrow…then I'll have to get revenge on Naruto by then. Even though Sasuke won't admit it, I know that he wants revenge on Naruto just as bad as I do!_

"I'm sure all of the rookie nine will miss you"

"As if" Sakura muttered under her breath as she slunk away from the door. She began to think about all the ways she could get revenge on him.

_Maybe I'll hurt him…yeah! I'll hurt him, just like he hurt Sasuke-kun! Wait, he always just heals after a nights sleep. I want him to suffer for a while so that he'll be truly sorry for what he did! OK, what if I get him to fight Sasuke-kun? Then Naruto will definitely lose and Sasuke-kun will get his revenge! Yeah!_

With these thoughts, Sakura left the Hokage mansion and sought out Sasuke. She found him in the training grounds that Team 7 often frequented. She watched in starry-eyed awe as she watched him train.

Sasuke started out in a crouch with a blindfold on. 30 meters in front of him was a wooden post. Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch and threw two handfuls of shuriken at the post and then sped off towards it. Every shuriken made contact with the post, and Sasuke appeared next to it and made several complicated taijutsu combinations that made Sakura squeal. Finally, he jumped back and grabbed his right wrist and pointed his right hand down into the ground. He got into a crouch and lightning began to form at his palm. The sounds of birds filled the clearing, and Sasuke lunged forward. He ran at the post at high speeds and thrust his palm into the post and screamed.

"Chidori!"

At this moment, Sakura had a brief moment where she imagined seeing that Chidori plunge into Naruto's chest instead of the wooden post. This vision was only made more potent by the aftermath of his Chidori on the post, completely obliterating it, splinters littering the ground everywhere. After his attack was completed, Sasuke took off his blindfold. In his eyes Sakura noticed something strange. It was like he was haunted by something. He grabbed his right arm and fell to his knees, staring at his right arm. Sakura got worried and ran towards him.

"Sasuke-kun! What's wrong!" she squealed as she reached him, falling to her own knees as she brought her body close to his.

"So-so much blood…it's everywhere! Can't you see it! I just killed Naruto! Oh my god! There's so much blood!" Sasuke brought his hands up to his head and grasped the sides of his head while he rocked back and forth, moaning and whispering to himself.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was beginning to get worried. She had heard about symptoms like these, and they were the after effects of severe psychological trauma. "Sasuke-kun, snap out of it. You didn't kill Naruto. There isn't any blood"

He slowly turned his head to face hers, and she froze at his contorted face. "It's…all my fault…I…killed….OH MY GOD!"

"Wake up Sasuke-kun!" she squealed, closing her eyes tightly and slapping him. Sasuke woke up out of his trance and looked up at her.

"Sakura? What do you want?" he asked coolly, as if nothing had happened.

"Wait Sasuke, what just happened? What was all of that weird, scary talk about blood?"

"…" Sasuke just glared at her, making her feel insecure about herself. _Why does he do that? Doesn't he know how much his rejection hurts me?_

Sakura hid her true feelings and remembered why she was really there.

"Sasuke-kun! I thought of the perfect way to get revenge on that baka Naruto!" she exclaimed. "You see, first we…"

"First, we do nothing," interrupted Sasuke. "I don't know where you got the idea, but I really have no use for getting revenge. It's pointless. Except for revenge on my brother, that is"

"How can you not want revenge after what he did to you Sasuke? He hit you! He broke his promise to me! He promised to bring you back to me, but he didn't! Kakashi-sensei did! And that was after you kicked his butt!"

"I didn't kick his butt"

"What?"

"What don't you understand? Naruto beat me"

"But…how? There's no way he…he must have gotten lucky. There's no way he could beat you Sasuke-kun! You're way cooler than he is!"

"Luck? Luck! I just challenged him again this morning. He would have killed me if the ANBU didn't stop him at the last second"

"He did what!"

"Are you deaf? Just…leave me alone Sakura. You're…annoying"

His words pierced into Sakura, who always had been insecure about her role on Team 7 and worried that she only held them back and was an annoyance. She had spent many a sleepless night sitting alone in her bed crying because she knew she wasn't strong enough.

He turned from her and began to walk back to the shattered training post. Sakura glared at his back, but reluctantly began to walk away. She would have to find another way to exact her revenge.

Sasuke looked down at the post. Amidst the shattered wood there were several shuriken on the ground. _Seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven… _He looked up at the forest behind the obliterated post and saw a single shuriken embedded on a tree. He had missed the mark on one of his throws. Seeing this, Sasuke kicked himself mentally and cursed Naruto for taking his source of power away.

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Sakura walked around the village, hoping to come by some type of inspiration. She looked up at the sky where the wind blew around the fallen leaves in small whirlwinds that carried the leaves through the streets of Konoha. It was autumn in Konoha, and as usual, it was beautiful. Konoha was actually beautiful any time of season. Summer was full of greenery, spring always had beautiful flowers blossoming, and fall had a darker feel to it, yet still had the awe striking view of the village filled with the falling leaves of the many trees of Konoha. Even winter was beautiful, even though the leaves that gave Konoha its name were absent.

Sakura watched the people walk through the streets, some hurrying, probably late to some important meeting. Others walked at a leisurely pace, just enjoying the fall weather. Her gaze followed the paths of many shoppers as they entered various shops, some were ninja equipment shops, others restaurants. But one shop caught her eye.

As she entered, a small bell rang delicately and a blonde girl entered from a back room.

"Hello, how can I help...Oh, it's just you Sakura" she said, sticking her tongue out at Sakura playfully.

"Hello Ino. How's it going? Your team as lazy as ever?"

"At least I don't have the most annoying ninja on my team"

"Yeah…listen, that's why I came here. It's about Naruto"

"What about him? I heard he brought Sasuke back, you should be pretty happy"

"Happy? After what Naruto did to him? I won't be happy until I get revenge on that baka! Now listen, I was wondering if you wanted to help me get revenge on Naruto for Sasuke…"

Ino cut her off. "Wait a minute Sakura. Why are you trying to get revenge? Just because of a few bruises on Sasuke?"

"They were more than just bruises, but, yeah! Are you in?"

"Sakura…I thought your little obsession with Sasuke was just a phase, so I played along. The truth is that I can't stand that cold-hearted bastard. He betrayed our village. Why can't you understand that?"

"No! Sasuke-kun would never do that! He was tricked I bet! Or forced! Yeah! I heard that he was carried in some sort of barrel, probably to keep him from escaping!"

"Sakura, are you really so blinded by your infatuation that you can't see what's happening right before your eyes? Shika told me what happened. He went because he wanted to go"

"That can't be true!"

"Sakura…"

"If you aren't going to help me, then this trip was useless!" yelled Sakura as she stormed out of the store. The small bell tinkled again as the door shook from being slammed.

_Sakura…_

Sakura marched out into the street with renewed resolve. She decided to see if she could find out what really happened on that day at the Valley of the End.

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Sakura peeked through the door of the Hokage's office. Sleeping peacefully and snoring slightly was the young looking woman, her face partially hidden by the stacks of documents on her desk. Shizune was out, probably for a while due to amount of work that she had left for Tsunade to take care of.

Sakura snuck silently into the room, and slowly tiptoed her way to Tsunade's giant oak desk. She reached out a hand, but at that moment Tsunade began to grumble about how much work an imaginary Shizune was heaping on her.

"Shizune, why do I have so much work? Why can't you do it? Why can't Sakura do it?"

Sakura winced, knowing that the next time Tsunade saw Sakura, she would have armfuls of papers for her to work on. Nonetheless, she had a mission for herself to do. Again, Sakura reached out an arm cautiously and slowly opened up a large slide out drawer. She reached into it and pulled out a small silver key and left the room, just as silently as she had entered it.

After Sakura had escaped the office, she breathed out a sigh of relief and headed towards the Hokage library. The Hokage library was a very important room, though very dusty. It held the details of every mission ever taken by a Konoha shinobi and the outcome. In addition, it had scrolls containing information about every ninja in the village, listing their missions, missions completed, strengths, weaknesses, and other biographical information. This was mainly why it was off limits to anyone without the Hokage's personal permission.

Sakura found herself in front of the door an took a deep breath, preparing herself for doing something that, if caught, could get her into some major trouble. But right now, the only thing that mattered was finding the truth and getting revenge. Sakura inserted the small key into the lock and turned it. The door easily swung open and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Immediately, she searched in the new records in order to find the mission details of a recent mission: the rescue mission led by Shikamaru. She found it with some difficulty, as the folders were sorted by leader, and Shikamaru only had one mission led under his belt. On the cover of the folder read the line "Classified." But Sakura paid it no notice and opened it. She began to read the mission details first.

"Mission assigned to Nara Shikamaru to follow and rescue Uchiha Sasuke."

_Rescue! That means he was captured! Ino-pig was definitely wrong! _Inner Sasuke pumped a fist in the air and beat down an imaginary Ino. She then began to read the actual summary of the mission.

(A/N: this is basically a recap of what happened, so if you know already, you can skim or skip)

"Mission Details: Uchiha Sasuke has been taken by sound nins, and presumably being taken to Orochimaru. The mission is to follow the sound nins and to rescue Uchiha Sasuke.

Participants of Mission: Nara Shikamaru (leader), Inuzuka Kiba, Akamichi Chouji, Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee (unofficially involved)

A second force of shinobi was sent as backup: Gaara of the Desert, Temari of the Desert, Kankuro of the Desert

Mission Result: The primary group was sent after the four sound nin and Uchiha Sasuke, who, apparently, defected to the Sound in order to gain power promised by Orochimaru."

_No! That…can't be true! Sasuke would never… _She continued to read.

"Akamichi Chouji was confronted by Jiroubou of the Sound four. Chouji was able to be the victor, but at a high price. He consumed the three, supposedly lethal, soldier pills that are the prize possession of the Akamichi Clan. The result was devastating power used to defeat Jiroubou, but also the complete exhaustion of every energy source in Chouji's body, including fat, calories, protein, and some muscle tissue.

"Then, Hyuuga Neji was confronted by Kidoumaru of the Sound four. Hyuuga Neji was also able to be victorious, but barely. He suffered multiple wounds that pierced entirely through the body, and had a severe case of chakra depletion.

Nara Shikimaru paired up with Tayuya of the Sound four. He was later aided by Temari of the Desert and was victorious, but sustained no extreme damage, only a broken finger (self-inflicted).

Inuzuka Kiba confronted Ukon of the Sound four. He too was victorious, only through the help of Kankuro of the Sound four."

_So much destruction…so much pain and suffering. How could all of this happen? Was this really your fault Sasuke-kun?_

"Rock Lee faced Kimimaru and was also victorious, largely through the efforts of Gaara of the Desert.

Uzumaki Naruto finally fought Uchiha Sasuke at the Valley of the End"

_What could have really happened there that could make Tsunade-sama hide it from us_?

"Sasuke, propelled into a curse seal induced rage elevated himself physically to a final point of level two. Uzumaki Naruto too activated his power (see Kyuubi) to battle the curse seal. In the following battle, both shinobi were rendered unconscious, and were returned to Konoha."

(A/N: little document thingy over)

_Sasuke-kun…how could you betray us all like that? I-I…loved you. How could you betray the village, how could you betray me? Still…how did Naruto beat you? I know he's not as strong as you…See Kyuubi? What does that have to do with Naruto?_ Sakura looked through the ninja profiles and finally found Naruto's, an especially think folder.

"Uzumaki Naruto:

Parents unknown (see Yondaime)

Class 6 Ninja (see Kyuubi)

Distinguishing Abilities: Rasengan, Kage Bunshin"

Sakura was confused by all the references in his profile, but continued on, puzzled.

"Biographical Information:

Soon after his birth, the Yondaime sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon fox, Kyuubi, into the belly of Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura in surprise threw the folder across the room and yelped. _What! But…how? How could he…? But, how!_

Sakura was shaking like a leaf, trying to figure out the meaning of the words she had just read. Obviously this was some lame joke by Naruto, replacing his old folder with a prank one. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. How he healed so quickly, how he had so much chakra, even the whisker like scars on his cheeks. How could she miss it? It was so obvious, now that she knew the truth. She could now even explain the sadness hidden by his smiles that she often noticed, but took no thought of. But now she knew what she had to do.

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Good? Bad? Tell me if I'm doing something wrong! Btw, srry bout that whole document thing. It got kinda boring, even for me. Won't happen again, believe it! Don't worry though, next chap will should be much better! Read and Review! Please! Im going to try to get the next chappie in by the weekend. Be prepared!


	7. Chapter 6: Revelations

Wow, I have renewed vigor to keep going guys, thx for all the reviews and encouragement, it really gets me motivated. Sorry about the late post, omg, I've been swamped with college crap and homework…

Well, enjoy!

Revelations

Naruto looked up at the cracked ceiling tiles in his bedroom. He had been up almost all night. He was able to drift off to sleep for short periods of time, but would always wake up from the excitement. So, he had been just lying in bed staring at the ceiling for the past three hours.

Every time he actually did drift off, his sleep would be filled with strange dreams. The dream would always be the same. In his dream, he was surrounded by darkness, and only his friends were with him in the small beam of light that surrounded him. All of the rookie nine were there, as well as his other precious people, Iruka, Jiraiya, Tsunade, even Kakashi. However, one by one, no matter how hard Naruto tried to save them, they were pulled into the darkness, crying out for Naruto to save them. First it was Asuma and his team. Naruto was always able to grab a hold of Shikamaru's hand, but would lose his grip. Next would be Shino and Kiba, both fighting it until they too were engulfed by darkness. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya were back to back, trying to stay in the light, but they too were pulled away from him. Sasuke was pulled in with Sakura hanging on to his hand. Hinata and Iruka began to drift away and Naruto fell to his knees. He sat in the light, alone, crying. At this point, Naruto would always wake up, sweating and dried tears on his face.

Naruto finally decided that he would get out of bed and prepare. He would not leave on his training mission until later that afternoon, so he had all morning to suffer in anticipation. He donned his new, darker attire, pulled up his mask, and put on his hiate. He leapt out his window and began to walk around the village. It was not yet dawn, and there were very few people out and about. So Naruto walked around aimlessly until he reached the many training grounds of Konoha. He instinctively walked to Team Seven's favorite training grounds and thought of all the great times they had there. He reached out and touched the post where he had been tied up by Kakashi after the bell test.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by the rhythmic sounds coming from the training ground adjacent to his. He began to walk through the forest and peered through the foliage.

"Four-thousand five hundred and seventy one, four-thousand five hundred and seventy two, four thousand seven hundred and seventy three…." Each count out was accompanied by a loud thump.

Rock Lee was in the middle of his morning warm up for his mid morning warm up. He started out with two thousand pushups, six thousand punches, and five thousand kicks. He was almost done when he noticed a flash of gold in the green forest.

He immediately ceased his warm-up and stood in his ready position. "Friend or foe, come and test my youth!" he yelled as a challenge.

Naruto stepped out of the relatively hidden bushes into the open.

"Ah, Naruto-san. Have you come to spar?!"

"Uh…actually Lee, I was just passing and…" Naruto suddenly flinched and dropped straight back, dodging the kick aimed for his head by inches.

_Geez, he's quick_ Naruto thought frantically.

"Yosh! You are faster than I had imagined! The fountain of youth surely overflows in you!"

"Riiight…." Both nins settled down in their ready positions. Lee's was much more structured than Naruto's, because Naruto had never really learned the proper stances, brawling rather than fighting his opponents. He was uncoordinated, not having learned the correct footings or counters, but he was still a decent match for most genins. Lee, however, was no ordinary genin.

Lee disappeared in a blur, and appeared in front of Naruto, in the air, his leg swinging in a long sweeping kick.

"Konoha Senpuu!" He foot made contact, but Naruto was able to cross his arms in a block. However, the force of the kick still knocked him backwards, sprawling on the ground.

Naruto slowly got back up, rubbing his rear, and held up his hands.

"Okok, I surrender, I can't beat that"

It then occurred to Naruto that out of the rookie nine and Gai's team, Rock Lee was the best person to learn from. Kurenai's team was very specialized, and had special talents that Naruto could not even hope to copy. Asuma's team too had very specialized techniques, family techniques that were not supposed to be given to other ninjas. Sasuke definitely wouldn't help him and Sakura was still mad at him. Neji was a Hyuuga and had the same problems as Sasuke in the social skills. So that left Ten-ten and Lee to learn from, and projectiles weren't Naruto's favorite thing to use in a fight.

"Say, Lee, I'm leaving later today. Think you could give me some pointers before I leave on my mission?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Yosh! I will teach you all of the ways of the genius of hard work! Then you too will be in the springtime of youth!"

"Yeah! Springtime of youth!" Naruto yelled halfheartedly. _What's wrong with this guy?_

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6 Hours later

Both genin lie prostrate on the ground, with red faces and gasping for air.

"Whew…that…was…a great…training…session…Lee" Naruto managed to say in between his gulps of air.

"Yosh!" was all Lee could get out before he too had to focus on breathing.

Naruto slowly and gingerly rolled over and squinted his eyes as the sun was high in the sky, as it was midday already. However, he soon got a little shade as the silhouette of a familiar profile filled his gaze.

"Yo"

"Neh? Kakashi-sensei? What brings you here?" asked Naruto, a puzzled expression on his face. "You hear about my new mission?" he asked, a grin widening across his face.

"Actually, yes, but that's not why I'm here. I want to talk to you," Kakashi stated dully, his nose still in his little orange book.

"Ok, well, talk"

"In private"

Lee took the hint and said something about doing 500 one handed pushups, and if he couldn't do that, running 5 laps around Konoha. He limped away and Kakashi snapped his book shut. Naruto, knowing that if the book shut, it was serious, sat up and looked at Kakashi attentively.

"Naruto…listen, it's about the Valley of the End…I…I…"

"You what, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Naruto, I always taught you that those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who turn their backs on their teammates are worse than trash. Naruto, I am lower than trash. I left you alone when you needed me. All I cared about was Sasuke…and ignored you. Naruto…I want to just say how sorry I am for that…"

"…"

"Listen, Naruto, I understand if you hate me, I deserve it. I understand if you want to kill me for what I did, I deserve it. I just wanted…needed to apologize"

"…"

Kakashi stood there, looking down at Naruto who was sitting cross legged. The wind blew, causing the grass to sway and their clothes to flutter. The trees created a moving background, as they all swayed to the wind and time seemed to stand still. Kakashi stood there for what seemed to be an hour.

"Naruto?"

Kakashi was getting nervous when Naruto suddenly fell over, his eyes wide open, but snoring soundly. A large sweat drop appeared oh Kakashi's head and he gently nudged Naruto's slumbering form.

"Agh! Wha-…Kakashi-sensei?"

"Naruto, did you hear me?"

"Uh, about the Valley of the End stuff?"

"Yes"

"Yeah, I heard you"

"And?"

"And what? The past is the past. Kakashi-sensei, I don't hold grudges. The only thing we can do is learn from our mistakes and move on. You seem to have learned from your mistake, and I forgive you"

Kakashi stood there, awestruck at this boy. Here was a child, barely thirteen years of age, who suffered so much at the hands of so many. Yet his nature gave him the ability to forgive even the worst things that people can do to another human being. He looked at those who abused him not with hate, but with love, vying not for revenge, but for acknowledgement, unlike a certain Uchiha. A lone tear welled up in Kakashi's good eye, but he squelched it with a quick forearm to the affected eye.

"Kakashi-sensei, what good is it to hate someone for something they did in the past? Will it change what they did? Kakashi, what you did was hurtful to me, but I understand that Sasuke is more important…"

"Naruto," Kakashi interrupted, "I don't think you understand. Sasuke isn't as important as you. I thought he was, but now I see the truth. You said that you will be Hokage one day, right? I believe in you, Naruto. One day, you will be Hokage"

Naruto blinked, thinking about all the times that he asked Kakashi to train him, and how he had been brushed off and stuck with the closet pervert Ebisu. At least he had met Jiraiya; otherwise Naruto was sure he would be dead by now. So, everything had worked out, hadn't it?

"…Thank you Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said, making eye contact and standing up in front of Kakashi.

"Well, good luck on you mission Naruto"

"Yeah! I'm going to kick its ass!"

"Naruto…a mission doesn't have an ass for you to kick"

"Well…well…I'll kick all the bad guys' asses then!"

Kakashi smiled, showing his emotions only through his eyes. "I'm sure you will Naruto, I have no doubt"

Naruto turned to leave and called over his shoulder, "Watch over that Uchiha-bastard while I'm gone, okay Kakashi?"

And with that, Naruto disappeared, flying across rooftops, making his way to his favorite place in the world.

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Asuma's team had been lounging around the barbecue restaurant peacefully before a pink haired shinobi interrupted their quiet.

"Hey! Ino! Chouji, Shikamaru!" Sakura called as she ran towards them.

"Sigh, this is so troublesome," sighed Shikamaru as he moved a piece in his chess game against Asuma.

Chouji's only response was to continue eating at the same rate he was eating before. Alarmingly fast.

"Forehead girl!" Ino waved as Sakura came closer.

"INO PIG!" yelled Sakura as she pointed at Ino, clenching her hands into fists.

"Sigh. What is it Sakura?" asked Asuma as he moved knight into Shikamaru's territory.

"Huh? Oh, right! Naruto is leaving today for a training mission and I thought that we should all say goodbye to him!" Sakura replied innocently, a smile plastered on her face.

"Naruto…what a troublesome guy…" Shikamaru countered Asuma's knight gambit moving a pawn up to threaten it.

"Will Sasuke-kun be there?" asked Ino, very interested suddenly.

"Sure! He is Naruto's teammate after all, right?"

"Sasuke is even more troublesome than Naruto…" drawled Shikamaru as Asuma moved his knight even farther into Shikamaru's territory, evading the pawn attack.

"WHAT?!" screamed the two girls, leaping at him, only to fall on their faces, unable to move.

"Heh. Kagemane no jutsu, success"

"Let me out right now Shikamaru!" screamed Ino, burning holes into Shikamaru's head with her eyes.

"Fine, fine, just calm down. Geez, women are so troublesome"

"WHAT?!" screamed the two recently released girls, preparing to leap on him again. However, they again found themselves face down on the ground.

"You should really learn from you mistakes," muttered Shikamaru, as he brought out his own queen to defend against the knight's intrusion.

"LET US GO!" they both screamed. Shikamaru winced and his shadow returned to his body.

"Sigh, we'll be there Sakura," Asuma said, trying to act as the peacekeeper of the team. He narrowed his eyes, and moved his knight yet again, this time to the relative safety of his side of the board.

"Good! He'll be at the gates at four, don't be late!" Sakura chirped happily as she ran down the road. She had other people to see.

Shikamaru moved his bishop forward, into Asuma's side of the board, taking the offensive and attacking the knight yet again. "So troublesome…"

"Now now Shikamaru, aren't you on friendly terms with Naruto?" Asuma glanced at Shikamaru sneakily and sent his queen out of its position and set up an attack that would end it next turn. He could afford to lose his knight.

"Tsk. Asuma-sensei, checkmate," Shikamaru yawned, as he ignored the knight completely and moved his queen in, protected by his bishop.

"Sigh. I don't even know why I even try…" muttered Asuma, as he reached for a piece of barbecue, only to find it all gone.

"Gulp, sorry sensei, I need to build up my energy!"

"Sigh. This is so troublesome" whined Asuma, taking Shikamaru's line.

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Sakura ran through the streets, looking for a certain black haired genin. So far, she'd gotten all of the rookie nine, except Sasuke, to come see Naruto off. Also, she'd gotten Gai's team to come, knowing how Gai and Lee would want to see Naruto off and wish him a journey filled with training.

Sakura glanced through the crowd, seeing a glimpse of black hair and she made her way through the masses of people, finally getting close enough to grab his shoulder.

He turned around violently and grabbed her wrist, bringing her close and holding her from behind, a kunai that he had brought out on instinct at her throat.

"Sakura" he acknowledged.

Sakura was a little shocked by the sudden capture, yet kind of comfortable as she was held very tightly to Sasuke's body. She imagined all of the girls in Konoha being jealous of her position right now and sighed in comfort. But, just as suddenly as she had been put into the position, she was released from the position.

"What do you want Sakura" stated Sasuke in a gloomy voice, walking away from her, hands in his pockets.

Sakura froze for a second before chasing him from behind him, struggling to catch up, as the streets were full of villagers. Finally, she stepped beside him, and kept stride.

"Sasuke, Naruto is going on a training mission today"

"Why should I care that that baka is going on a mission? Are you trying to make me feel jealous because I'm on probation?" Sasuke coldly said. He was devoid of all emotion, yet one could still feel that he was slightly annoyed at Sakura's disturbance.

"No no! Nothing like that! It's just…I wanted to know if you would go to the gates and see him off…I know it's kind of dumb, it's just…I wanted to make sure everyone was all together for one last time…"

Noting the stress in her voice, Sasuke mentally cursed. _Why does she always make me feel this way? I can't care for anyone! Not until I've killed Itachi can I make bonds…_

"Alright. I'll come."

"Really?! Great! Meet there at four o'clock! Seeya Sasuke-kun!" she yelled over her shoulder as she waved goodbye, running off.

_I'm whipped…_

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_Well, four o'clock. Guess it's time to go… _Naruto thought, a little sadly, as he had not been able to wish everyone farewell. He had only been able to find Lee, and after that, went to say goodbye to Old Man Ichiraku. After an extra big lunch, he bought some ninja supplies from Ten-Ten's shop, and was disappointed he didn't see her there.

Naruto made his way to the gates of Konoha, whipping his head around, searching for any sign of his friends. Alas, he saw no one he recognized, and walked the rest of the trip with his head down. When he finally arrived, he was shocked by the scene there. There were all his friends, the rookie nine, and even Maito Gai's team.

"Naruto! There you are! You're late!" cried Sakura, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the crowd.

"Late?! It's only six minutes after four! At least I'm not like Kakashi-sensei!"

"Six minutes, three hours, late's late" she declared, as she plopped him down in front of the waiting shinobi.

An Anbu walked up to Naruto. "Naruto-san, Jiraiya says that he will be waiting for you in the village down the road"

"Hai!" And with that, the Anbu disappeared in a blur.

"So…why are you all here?" asked Naruto quizzically.

"Because the women made us" Shikamaru replied sarcastically. Ino then crushed her fist down into his skull. "So…troublesome…" he was able to get out, right before he fell unconscious.

"Sorry about him Naruto. I think he's the one who's troublesome after all…" she said, glaring at the motionless form of the shadow user.

"Ok…well, I guess you guys are here because you know about my ultra cool super awesome mission!" he said, giving them the thumbs up.

"Yosh! Naruto-san is surely full of youthful energy! We must use that energy to train!"

"Shut up Lee"

"Let's spar Neji!"

"What did I just say?"

"That…you want to spar?"

"No. I don't want to spar. Leave me alone."

"My rival is as cool as ever!"

At this point, Sakura stepped forward.

"Hey Naruto, I got everyone to come and see you off!"

"Hey, thanks Sakura-chan! I always knew you cared about me!" he declared, as he ran towards her, arms opened wide.

"Baka!" she screamed, as she punched him in the head, knocking him to the floor in a similar fashion as Shikamaru.

"Look at all the pretty colors…"

Sakura straightened her dress out. "I have an important thing to tell you all! That's why I called you all here. It's about…Naruto."

"Wha?!" he yelled quizzically, springing back up to his feet.

"It's about the Nine Tailed Demon, Kyuubi no Kitsune"

"Sakura! How do you…you…you can't!"

"Hush Naruto. It's ok!"

"Sakrua, don't! You don't understand!"

"Naruto! Trust me!"

"Sakura, it's forbidden! You can't!"

The remaining genin, and the one chunnin (Shikamaru, I just remembered is a chunnin, my bad) looked on, confused.

"What's going on?" asked Kiba.

"Hm" replied Shino, expressing his apparent confusion as well.

"SAKURA!"

"CALM DOWN NARUTO!"

Naruto leapt at Sakura, pinning her arms behind her and covered her mouth.

"Sakura. Please. Don't."

"Mph!" Sakura continued to struggle until she made a solid contact with his shin.

"Gasp! Theyondaimedidn'tkillkyuubihecouldonlysealitintoanewbornbabyandthatbabyis Naruto!"

All of the ninja assembled there froze, trying to put together all the information they just received. After a shocked silence, they all turned their heads towards Naruto. He was frozen, staring at Sakura, as if he were dreaming.

"But guys! He's not the Kyuubi! He's just the container, so he's still the same guy!" Sakura continued, oblivious to the things happening around her. Kiba kept opening his mouth as if to say something, but nothing would come out. Hinata kept looking at the ground, Lee was confused, Neji stared at Naruto, and Shino remained silent, his emotions unreadable. The rest of the shinobi had similar reactions, except for Naruto. His emotions changed, from shock, to anger, to realization, to fear.

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It can cause someone to run away, to freeze, or to even lose control of their body. It is more powerful than happiness, lust, confusion, or even anger. In Naruto's eyes, all anyone could see was fear.

Suddenly, as if broken out of a trance, Naruto blinked, shook his head, and ran out of the gates. The rest of the ninjas there could only watch as he ran.

"Sakura…what have you done?" Ino asked gently, placing her hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura was more shocked than anyone, believing with all her heart that it would be better if Naruto's secret was known. She knew that no one would hate him for what he had inside him, but she didn't predict what Naruto's reaction would be. As she watched him run, she began to walk towards the gates.

"I…I need to go after him…to explain. I really didn't mean for him…I…" she stammered, tears running down her face. "I mean, how could he…how could I…but…"

She broke down, falling on her knees, as she saw Naruto in the distance, still running. All eyes watched the scene of a small image of Naruto ran away from the village he loved.

And then all eyes saw nothing but a flash of light and smoke as the landscape in front of them exploded into a massive fireball.

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Hey! I finished my longest chapter ever! I tried to make it longer, by popular request so…yeah! Read and review as always!


	8. Chapter 7: Aftermath

Man. Haven't updated in a while, so sorry about that. I'm just terribly busy. Plus, for sum reason, I wasn't able to upload my chapter…weird…

Chapter Seven

All of the genin at the gate stood horrified as they watched the forest erupt, an explosion rocking the earth. Most shielded their eyes, preventing the flash of light from damaging their vision, although some wished that they couldn't see so they wouldn't have to witness the insanity before them.

"My God…that must have been…over three-hundred exploding tags…" muttered the awestruck resident weapons master.

Sakura remained motionless, kneeling on the ground, looking horrified out the gates at the spot of land that Naruto had been standing on moments before.

He couldn't have died, right? Not after what had just happened. She had tried to tell everyone his secret, not out of spite or revenge, rather, out of her own compassion towards Naruto. She had decided that Naruto couldn't tell anyone his secret, largely because of his fear of rejection. However, after she found out his secret, she knew that none of his friends would feel that way. Quite the opposite really. Sakura had planned to spill Naruto's secret, and show him that none of his friends really saw him differently. To show him that he didn't have to fear rejection. But he left before they could express it. And now? And now…Naruto could be…might be…dead.

"There's…no…way anyone could survive that…could they?" asked an amazed Kiba.

"Not even…Naruto?" echoed Neji. He had gained a deep respect for the loudmouth after his fight in the chunnin exam. And now, after finding out about Kyuubi, he knew that Naruto was truly one of the few people that actually understood the pain of a seal no one could remove. Naruto had become something of an invincible being, never giving up, always fighting. He had beaten him, Hyuuga Neji, for crying out loud! And now, Naruto could be lost forever. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

At this point, the fire seemed to die down, and several ANBU appeared.

"Come with us please." The request might as well have been a demand, as every person present followed without a thought.

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"What happened!" screamed Tsunade, pacing around the room, much to the distress of several genin standing in front of her. "Naruto goes out on his mission and boom! He dies in a tragic explosion?! Someone had better give me some answers quick or heads will roll!"

"Tsunade-sama, calm down!"

"Calm down?! One of our ninja has been killed! Assassinated is the better word for it! How can I be CALM?"

Cringing, the chunnin, retreated back to the door that he suddenly found very interesting.

Tsunade began to pace again and stopped in front of Hinata. "Talk."

"Ah…Ah…well…"

"Useless." Hinata's head dropped a little from this, but her own lack of confidence seemed to agree with this assessment.

This time Tsunade stopped in front of Shino. "Talk," came the same order, demanding his respect and immediate action.

"We had gathered together at the request of Haruno-san in order to say our goodbyes to our comrade, however, I believe that there were underlying causes for the gathering."

"Such as?"

"The secret of Uzumaki-san."

"WHAT?!" screamed Tsunade, whipping her head up from her pacing, taking a step towards Sakura. She cringed and put her hands up in a weak defense, nothing that could stop Tsunade's insane strength.

"You have ten seconds to explain before I try you for treason and breaking the law of secrecy Haruno Sakura" stated Tsunade very plainly, making it very clear that she could, and would, execute these threats.

"Tsunade-sama, it's not really like that! You see, I found out about Naruto's secret and…I accepted him. More than I had ever accepted him. I understood and admired his struggle, and felt like I was closer to him than ever. Why should Naruto be shunned for a secret that is actually beneficial to him? So I took it into my own hands. They needed to know about Naruto's secret. Naruto needed them to know his secret. They needed to understand his hurt, and he needed to understand that no matter what, we will be here for him. But…but…Naruto ran away before I could explain to him why I did it…." she trailed off, looking down at the floor, too stressed to say anymore.

"I buy it. There will be consequences, but no death for you today Haruno. Continue with the story Shino."

"Well, when Haruno-san revealed Naruto's secret, he emitted pheromones of fear, something that my kikai bugs were able to sense. He then ran out of the gates and an explosion occurred. Why and how are unknown" concluded Shino, as impassive as ever, but one could hear a tiny strain in his voice. Shino didn't particularly have a respect for Naruto, but he did have toleration, something many others were not blessed with. He was often annoyed with him, amused by him, and confused about him, but he kept these emotions to himself. Now, however, knowing about the Kyuubi no Kitsune seemed to bring the puzzle of Naruto together. Or at least, a weak frame of it.

"Kiba! Could you smell Naruto after the explosion?"

"Hokage-sama, there is no way me, or any of my clan for that matter, can smell him! There's too much damn smoke and burning stuff!"

"I see. Hinata, Neji…"

"He was outside our fifty meter range Hokage-sama" cut off Neji.

Tsunade grabbed her temples and massaged them as she sat down behind her desk littered with papers. "Dammit…"

"I want an ANBU team checking the scene for any evidence yesterday!"

A voice came from behind the genins, making them jump No one had felt his presence.

"Hai, Hokage-sama"

"Now I want you all to go home and rest"

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Shikamaru flopped on his bed, lying down in his usual position, on his back, one knee bent, and both arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling as if it held the keys to the universe.

_Sigh…Naruto…you were such a troublesome guy…guess it fits that you would meet your end in a troublesome way too…_

Out of the corner of his eye, Shikamaru noticed a paper that was blocking the sunlight that streamed through his window. He sighed and lazily got off his bed and opened the window. He slid his arm outside the window and retrieved the paper. The paper was folded several times, and Shikamaru carefully opened it, revealing the bold block letters that were a defining characteristic of Naruto. They almost screamed "Hey! Notice me!" Sighing, he lay back down and read the note:

"Hey Shikamaru. It's Naruto. I don't know if I'll see you for a while, because I'm going on a super cool mission with Jiraiya-sensei (don't tell him I called him that). I just wanted to say that you're one of the few people that I feel I can count on. Uh, I don't know why I'm writing this, I guess I just wanted to tell you that I really think of you as a friend. So anyway, who knows how long I'll be gone? However long, when I get back, I expect you to be a lot stronger! So, stay cool, stay safe, and get a girl! (man, you have two of them and you don't even know it!)….."

Shikamaru wiped a tear running down the side of his face and quickly put the letter in a metal box, filled only with things that were most precious to him.

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"…so don't lose to Sakura-chan, ok Ino?! Work hard, fight hard, and you'll get much stronger! Oh, and give up on Sasuke-teme, he's a real bastard! Maybe you should look at the things right in front of you…"

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"…and after that, I'll use Rasengan on your ass! So you better be ready to spar after I come back Kiba"

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"…uh, maybe you should open up a little more Shino…"

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"…I'm counting on you to care for all of the precious people in my life! I know you have a big heart and I need you to love Iruka-sensei for me, he doesn't really have much of a life! (get him a girl!) Oh, and you really could stand to lose some weight…"

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"…keep going Hinata! Forget what everyone else thinks and keep getting stronger! When I get back, you had better be awesome! And I'll be just as awesome and we can spar together!..."

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"…lighten up and stop being such a cold-hearted bastard! When I get back, we'll both kick Itachi's ass! Believe it!"

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"…Sasuke needs you, now more than ever. You haven't every slowed us down Sakura-chan, you've only given us fuel to keep going. Sasuke needs that right now…"

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At the end of each of the letters, there was a single phrase. "Get strong so that we can protect our loved ones together!"

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1 week later

The clouds opened up, millions of tears falling on those at the funeral. Several tears were shed by those who attended as well. It was a moving ceremony, though it took several ANBU to keep the rowdy villagers from crashing the funeral. Tsunade had to stop in the middle of her speech, choking on her tears, and had to be led out by Shizune. Jiraiya reluctantly stepped forward and gave a very moving impromptu speech. After a while, everyone departed, except for the rookie nine, minus one.

"Did you guys get one too?" Ino asked, her makeup smeared down her face.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Listen…I…I really was trying to help…" Sakura started.

Chouji put his arm around her, a gesture that actually comforted her. "We know Sakura" he said comfortingly. She turned into his shoulder and began to cry.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to get stronger"

They all looked up at Shikamaru, surprised at his statement. Kiba nodded.

"Yeah. For Naruto"

They all looked down at the small slab of stone marking Naruto's empty grave. They each pulled out their letters and put them in Shikamaru's special metal box, signifying importance of it's contents. Shikamaru laid it down, resting on the stone.

"These are Naruto's last wishes. Let us try to complete them with all of our power." They all bowed slightly, and left. Except for one.

Sakura looked at him questioningly, but he just nodded to her, and she reluctantly left him. He got on his knees and planted his hands on the memorial stone.

"Listen…Naruto…I…you have always been there for me. And I always pushed you away. You and Sakura. But I swear, that will never happen again. You…were like a brother to me. You…I…loved you." He whispered with his forehead against the marble. Finally, he got up, and bowed. As he left, he made a promise with himself and his dead teammate. I will not allow revenge to take over my life. _I will live my life for myself…because of you, Naruto. Thank you._

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He woke up with stars in his eyes, reaching out weakly with one hand. He could see a faint blur of a shape of a person sitting in front of him.

"Hey! Where am I!?" he demanded.

"…"

"Hey! Who are you?!" he demanded once again.

"…"

Irritated by the silent treatment he was receiving, and encouraged by his returning vision, he launched himself at the motionless form of a body. He lowered his shoulder and delivered a powerful blow to the side of the still form. The person, after being attacked, screamed unceremoniously and leapt to his feet.

"Eh!? Oh. It's you…"

"…You just screamed like a woman" accused Naruto.

"What!? That was a manly…holler!"

"Sounded a lot like a scream to me Ero-sennin…"

"How many times do I have to tell you!? It's Jiraiya-sama!"

"Suuuure…so, what happened? All I remember was running because…" Naruto paused, remembering what happened. His eyes widened_. I can never return to Konoha now…they all hate me. They know about Kyuubi, and now no one will accept me. Not the villagers, not the parents, and now not even the children!_

"Oh, yeah, uhhh…heh heh. Well, sit down kid, this is a complicated story" Naruto quickly obliged the old man and leaned forward showing his attentiveness.

"Well, it all starts like this. The Akatsuki are on the move. I have a feeling that they are going to step up their efforts on capturing you, so I decided to pull something before they could pull something of their own. I told the guards I would meet you at the nearest town, but really I was waiting for you down the road. I knocked you out, and ran for it. I set up about four hundred exploding tags and we almost got fried kid. You see, it was genius! I put a few tags in the front, so when the exploded, no one could see me swing in and take you out of the danger zone! Pretty cool, huh gaki!" he finished, smiling and giving Naruto the thumbs up.

Naruto rubbed his temples. "But…why?" he asked, not understanding why Jiraiya would even do something so strange. The old man was strange, but not strange enough to just randomly try to blow themselves up.

"You see, now everyone in Konoha thinks you're dead! So now the Akatsuki are off our trail for a while, but they'll be back, they're too good to be fooled for long. Sorry kid, but no one back home knows you're alive and well…"

"Not like anyone cares anymore…" Naruto mumbled.

"Eh! What's that? Whatever! We need to get moving!" rambled Jiraiya, spinning on his heel and walking out of the cave they had been in.

"Wha-wha-wait!"

"Don't fall behind brat! Keep up! Left, right, left, right!"

Naruto silently fell in behind the grey headed sannin and followed. As they walked in silence, Naruto began to get lost in his thoughts. _Well, if everyone thinks I'm dead…that's almost a good thing! Now everyone think's Kyuubi is dead and everyone will be happy! Hm…except for Iruka-sensei and Obaachan. And maybe Kakashi. But that's ok! I'll come back stronger than ever and they'll have to acknowledge me!_

Lost in his thoughts and inattentive to his surroundings, Naruto ran into a wall of flesh and fell down. Jiraiya stood above him, arms crossed and said nothing.

"Hey! Old man, you had better have a good reason to knock me down like that!"

"You little gaki! You ran into me!"

"Yeah?! Well…well…well what do you want?"

"It's time to start your training" At this, Naruto's eyes lit up and he began to rub his hands together.

_Alright! I'm going to get stronger than everyone! Even Sasuke-bastard and then I'll be able to become Hokage!_

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okok, I know, long time. Srry. Very sorry. I really missed doing this. Next update should be quicker.


	9. Chapter 8: Cliffhanger no Jutsu!

Hey guys! I feel very happy that I got out my last chapter and now I'm back for more! Hope ya'll liked that last chapter; I am slowly but surely getting to where I'm trying to get.

Btw, someone hit the nail right on! As someone reviewed, Naruto really doesn't have much faith in his friends because of the traumatic events in his childhood and the pain of rejection by all of the elder people of the village.

So yeah, someone asked about whether I was going to do a time skip. I figure I'll do a couple of chapters about Naruto's training and missions while he's away, and then do a time skip. Agreed?

Btw, Jutsu descriptions are at the end. Some of the jutsus are kind of vague…but oh well.

I appreciate all of ya'lls suggestions; I may try to work in some of them if I really like them. Keep up the great reviews!

Soooooo, chapter Eight!

Chapter Eight

"Are you going to teach me some new awesome super powerful new jutsu sensei?"

"Erm…ahem. No."

"But…but…but…why nooooooot!?" Naruto wailed.

"First, we have some things to decide. Here, take this" Jiraiya said as he handed Naruto a small square of paper.

"Eh? What's this?" he asked as he looked quizzically at the card.

"It's a special card that will determine what kind of elemental affinity you have. All you have to do is channel some of your chakra into the paper and it will do the rest. If you have an affinity to water, it gets wet. Fire, the paper burns up, lightning, the paper crumples. Earth, the paper turns to dust, and wind will cut the paper in half."

"Wow! Cool! I hope I have fire so I can use some of the awesome Katon (fire) jutsus that Sasuke uses!"

"Well, just because you don't have a certain elemental affinity doesn't mean you can't use those techniques at all. It just means you are better at certain types than others."

"Wait, what about the mokuton (wood) element that Shodaime Hokage used?" asked Naruto.

"Ah, good question, well, you can combine elements to create new elements! See, mokuton is created by combining doton (earth) and suiton (water). Also, there used to be certain clans that could use hyoton (ice) techniques by combining suiton with fuuton (wind)."

"Ah! I think I've seen that before!"

Jiraiya sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Great kid, now hurry up and use that card."

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto looked at the card closely, and then closed his eyes, channeling chakra through the card. For a second, nothing happened, but the card soon was turned to dust.

"Ah! So you have the doton affinity! I figured as much!"

"Huh? Why is that sensei?"

"Well you see, you have massive chakra reserves, but your control is only so-so. Doton is one of the elements that need a lot of chakra, but not a lot of control. Of course, control is always a good thing to have..." Jiraiya trailed off. Naruto wasn't paying attention.

"Baka! You ask a question and then don't pay attention to the answer?! I should leave you here and just research for my next book!" To make the threat real, Jiraiya turned swiftly on his heel and began to march away when Naruto called out.

"Hm? Wha…wait! Ero-sensei! Come back!"

"Humph. What are you thinking so hard about you little gaki?"

"Well, you said that doton was one of the elements that needed a lot of chakra and not that much control. What are the others? Is it fire? Lightning? Then I could learn Chidori and kick Sasuke's ass!"

"Baka! Weren't you listening to anything I said? I told you already, you can learn any technique, just not as easily! Why do I even bother?!" Jiraiya ranted as he held up his fist as if to smash Naruto into the ground. He took a breath and composed himself.

"You see, doton takes a lot of chakra and only so-so control. Katon jutsus are probably the hardest jutsu to do. They require a lot of chakra so that he attack is effective. However, they also require impeccable control. Can you imagine not being able to control a fire jutsu?" Both shinobi present shuddered a little, imagining flaming hair and burnt eyebrows.

"Let's see…suiton techniques don't use much chakra but need almost perfect control, and raiton (lightning) techniques are kind of in the middle. Fuuton is the other affinity I thought you might have because they are the easiest to use. Not much control is needed, and you can perform them with barely any chakra. But they can become really nasty if you use a lot of chakra."

"Well, didn't you say some people have two affinities?"

"Yes. I guess you do listen sometimes baka. It's possible to have multiple affinities, as most jounin have at least two."

"But, how do you test if they have two?"

"Well, usually, they would both appear on the card, but yours only got shredded, so I guess you only have doton for now. Affinities can appear as you get older and stronger."

"Wait a minute! If I had both, how would you know if the paper got cut in half? It turned into a million pieces, I could have both!"

"…" Jiraiya looked at him. _Damn, didn't even think about that_. "I was about to say that" Jiraiya said, pulling out two cards. "I was just about to give you a test to see if you had both, stop getting so impatient baka. Now I want you to channel your chakra into both papers."

Naruto began to channel chakra into both hands, and closed his eyes. A strange sensation filled him as he felt as if two forces were pulling him from his navel in opposite directions. He felt the chakra being accepted into the card but didn't open his eyes. "Sensei, what happened?"

"A dragon flew out of my ass. Check for yourself baka!"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and saw a small mound of dust from his doton affinity. What was next to it excited Naruto so much he jumped up and yelled. "Yatta!" There were two pieces of paper, cleanly cut in half.

_So the brat does have both. This could get interesting…_ "Ok! Let's get started with your training!"

Naruto stopped his horrible victory dance and immediately paid very close attention to his white haired sensei.

"We'll spend the rest of this day working on new doton and fuuton jutsus. I don't know many fuuton jutsus, but the ones I do know are definitely worth knowing. I also know a lot of great doton jutsus. Just feel lucky you aren't a raiton affinity. I know absolutely no raiton jutsus. They aren't very common in Fire Country, even though we pretty much have shinobi from all over. Anyway, the first jutsu I'll teach you is a basic doton technique. It's called Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique) …."

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She looked across the dojo at her opponent. She could feel her left leg dragging a little and her right arm was hanging at her side. She was almost out of chakra and at her peak. But her opponent was worse off. She had multiple bruises on her cheeks, the product of a surprising uppercut and right hook. She was standing, but just barely. You could tell that she would lose consciousness any second now.

_I have to win. To get stronger. Because that's my promise to you. I will fulfill your last wish if I have to beat up my little sister._

At the thought of Naruto, Hinata suddenly straightened up. She could feel the feeling returning to her limbs. She turned to her father who was watching the match and bowed her head slightly. Hiashi had been quite surprised that Hinata had been able to last this long. He bowed his head back at her, surprised at the confidence in her eyes.

"Hakke Rokujūyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) !" she declared tiredly, but with intensity all the same, as she rushed towards Hanabi. Hanabi's eyes widened in shock, but her body would not respond to any command she gave it.

After Hinata had gone through all the strikes, Hanabi fell to the floor, motionless. Hinata's shoulders slumped and she bowed to her unconscious sister. She then turned to her father, whose jaw hung open, and bowed. With that, Hinata hurriedly left.

_Was that good Naruto? Am I getting stronger? I have to keep going!_

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1 year later

"Sensei, I have encountered the target. Repeat, I have found the target" Naruto urgently whispered into his communicator in his ear.

"I hear you Naruto, loud and clear. I'm coming as fast as I can. Is he aware of your location?"

"Yes."

With that Naruto jumped in front of the man who moments ago, was unaware that anyone was watching him. "Stop" Naruto commanded, holding out a hand and acting as cool as he could.

The man inspected the youth in front of him, mystified by the mysterious mask that he donned. _Kids these days. Focusing more on looking cool than getting strong._

"Kid, I really don't have time for this" he sighed.

Naruto and Jiraiya had received a mission from Tsunade-sama while they were gone. It was tricky business, as she thought she was sending only Jiraiya on missions, usually A or S class (A/N: Remember, everyone thinks Naruto is dead, even Tsunade). So Naruto had to grow up fast, and had to adjust quickly, or die. Of course, he still made mistakes, like engaging an A-class missing nin without a plan.

The missing nin was quite tall, almost as tall as Kakashi. He wore mostly earth colored clothes, out of functionality, not style. He was, after all, a missing nin, hunted by many ninja villages and hunter nins. He wore a leaf hiate with a single slash through the middle. Jiraiya had said that the information given had said the man was a formidable opponent, but when had Naruto ever cared about what was said about someone? He needed first hand experience.

"Then make time, because I have all the time in the world"

The man sighed. _I'll just finish this quick and teach this guy a lesson. Kids like him should be at home doing D-class missions, not out here fighting people like me. Maybe his death will teach Konoha a lesson_.

He remained completely relaxed, and Naruto made a dash at him. The man disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Naruto tried to step in mid-step but tripped over his own feet, face vaulting straight into the ground.

_This guy is pathetic. I'll put him out of his misery._

Naruto heaved his way up and lifted up his fist. "Don't underestimate me!" _Damn I look like a fool_.

Naruto closed his eyes and focused on finding the ninja. He was hiding his chakra signature, but not well enough. _This guy's A-class? He's not that great!_ With that, Naruto jumped into the trees behind him, surprising his enemy.

_What? He found me already? Hm. Maybe he's better than I thought. Doesn't matter though. I won't even use that._

Naruto dashed at him on the branch and jumped into the air, announcing his attack. "Konoha Daisenpu (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!"

The man smirked and ducked under the spinning kick aimed for his head, only to be horrified to find a second kick coming for him in his exposed defense. The second spinning kick caught him straight in the side and sent the missing nin spiraling into a nearby tree trunk.

_Damn. This little shithead is gonna pay for that._ He began making seals as Naruto came jumping down from the tree. The nin threw two handfuls of shuriken at Naruto and yelled. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)!" The ten shuriken quickly multiplied into one hundred, effectively making them unavoidable.

Naruto ran through a few handseals very quickly as the shuriken got closer. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Release: Earth Shore Return)!" he yelled as he slammed his hands into the ground. A massive wall of earth erupted in front of him, preventing all of the shuriken from reaching their target.

"Good! You're quite proficient little boy! But using that jutsu leaves you wide open" the nin yelled over the sound of the earth wall erupting from the ground as he disappeared yet again in a flurry of leaves. "For this." He reappeared behind Naruto with a kunai pressed against his throat. However, he was pressed up very closely to Naruto's back, so he could not prevent what happened next.

"Hari Jizo (Needle Guardian)!" Naruto yelled, as his spiky hair became deadly. The golden spikes became reinforced with chakra and rushed dangerously at the nin behind him. Surprised, Naruto's enemy jumped back, but not before one rapidly growing spike caught him in the shoulder. After the nin retreated, Naruto released the jutsu, allowing his hair to soften and retract.

"You're pretty good kid. I'll give you that. Good enough to hear my name. I am Buotoko. And I'm done playing around. Behold! Meet Hirameku!" Buotoko yelled as he whipped out his sword, previously strapped vertically to his back.

"Pah, so you have a sword. You still suck."

"Hah! You obviously have no idea what you're up against child! Hirameku is a legendary sword, said to hold the spirit of a god who beat a bolt of lightning around the earth! It is my ultimate weapon!"

Naruto paled. If what Buotoko said was true, he was in deep trouble. He blinked and Buotoko disappeared. _What? How can he move that fast? Is it some sort of teleportation jutsu like Ero-sennin was telling me about?_

However, Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he was roughly struck in the back of the head with the hilt of Buotoko's blade. Hirameku or whatever he called it. Naruto got back up and searched for his assailant. He tried locking on to his chakra signature again, but was unable to find him, due to the high speeds he traveled at.

_He's toying with me! Damn! Well, if I can't catch him, I guess I'll just wait for him to catch me…_

Naruto stood still, in his fighting stance, fists held out slightly, feet wide apart. Suddenly, a blur flashed across his vision, and before he knew it, he was on his face again.

"Damn it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Naruto screamed in frustration. After the jutsu finished, over one hundred Naruto clones filled the forest.

"Ha! You think a few more of you can stop me? You have no idea what I'm capable of!" And with those words, Buotoko sped off again, leaving a trail of exploding Naruto clones behind him.

_Ok, I bought myself a little time with all those clones. But what can I do now? Maybe that could work…but it's risky…and it pretty much eats up all my chakra…might as well try, Jiraiya said he was on his way…_

"Alright!" Naruto screamed as he squinted his eyes in concentration. He ran through several handseals and opened his eyes. "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!!"

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

"HAHA! That jutsu was a real killer! Maybe I'll die of laughing! AHAHAHAHA!" Suddenly, without warning, the entire forest area that Naruto and Buotoko had fought in began to rumble. The floor gave out and revealed a swamp that began to engulf everything. The swamp itself was about the size of the stadium which Naruto had participated in the Chunnin exam. There was no way Buotoko could escape. He looked down in horror as his legs were already shin deep into the swampy earth. No matter how hard he tried, he could not dislodge himself and he knew this could be it.

"You used way too much chakra for that" came a voice behind Naruto.

"Wha?! Ero-sennin! Where have you been! I've been fighting this guy for at least ten minutes!"

"Well, you see, I saw two girls in the river and inspiration struck, you see, so I had to…"

"Stop…just…stop. I really don't want to hear this."

"You know, if you don't stop that jutsu soon, that guy's going to be sucked in completely…"

"So? Since when have you been all 'Save the bad guy's lives!'?"

"No, it's just that we were supposed to send back his head…"

"Oh. Right, I forgot"

"Yeah right, you never listen to the mission details"

"But I always come out ok!"

"What about that time in Grass country? When I had to…"

"Ok ok, I understand, when you talk, I listen, blah blah blah…There, I ended the jutsu."

The team of two jumped down nimbly onto the now solid ground. They walked over to where Buotoko was, immobilized, and only his head remaining above ground. He glanced up at them and sighed.

"Well, you're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Yep." Replied Naruto emotionlessly, almost apologetically. He had learned that killing was an unavoidable fact of life within the first week of his training mission with Jiraiya. That didn't mean, however, that he liked doing it.

"Can I have one last wish?"

"Depends. What is it?"

"I want you to kill me with Hirameku…"

"What?"

"Brat, you should really listen to what people are saying!" complained Buotoko loudly. "My sword!"

"Oh, right. Hirameku. Say, can I have this?" Naruto asked, looking curiously at the sword he pulled out of the ground.

"I guess it's only fair…to the victor goes the spoils, right?"

"You sure are being very accepting of your death…" Naruto suspiciously trailed off.

"Well, when you get beat, you get beat. Nothing complaining will do about it"

"Very true…Y'know, if you weren't a missing nin, I would actually think of you as a pretty nice guy!"

"Naruto…" Jiraiya began to rub the bridge of his nose. "You really shouldn't converse with missing nins…it's bad for the reputation, y'know?"

"Bah, like I have a reputation. No one even knows I'm alive, except for you. Everyone thinks you're the one taking out all these criminals"

Naruto looked down at Buotoko and said apologetically "It has to be done…" With that, Naruto took one great swing. Jiraiya put the head in a bag and sent it back to Konoha for evidence. They left the body in the ground rather than burning it, allowing Buotoko some degree of peace as he entered the afterlife.

"Sooo, Hirameki, eh? You know about the legends about that sword Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto cleaned off the blade.

"Yeah, Buotoko told me all about it. When he used it he seemed like a flash!"

"Yes, I doubt the legends are true though. I figure that blade is a really powerful artifact. See? The blacksmith engraved seals on there that increase the wielders speed when they channel chakra through it. I heard there was a complimentary sword, but no one knows where it is. I figure another missing nin has it…"

"Uh, thanks for the history lesson old man"

"Why you ungrateful little…" Jiraiya lifted his hand to punch Naruto in the head, but his fist sailed through air.

"Hey, old man!" Jiraiya looked up. Naruto was a fifty feet down the road, yelling at him. "Hurry up! I don't care if your arthritis kills you! Left right left right! Let's hurry it up!"

"Oh god he's going to be a pain in the ass with that sword…"

However, all thoughts of killing the energetic young genin were expelled when Naruto froze in his tracks and fell, motionless to the ground.

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The crowd roared, deafening to the two shinobi in the center of the ring. Genma paused calmly and raised his hand. "Begin" he stated quietly and jumped back to avoid any injury.

Kiba looked across at his opponent. "Hinata, you can always forfeit! Hey, we both did great so far, we're going to be promoted for sure! Quitting now won't really mean much!" Deep down inside, Kiba didn't really want to injure his old teammate. It was the final match of the Chunnin Exam and Hinata and Kiba had fought their way to the last match.

_He's right…this battle is meaningless. I'll still be a chunnin, even if I lose…maybe I should just forfeit…_

It was then that she remembered what Naruto had written her a year ago. "Keep going Hinata! Forget what everyone else thinks and keep getting stronger!"

"I'm sorry Kiba-kun. I can't forfeit now. To get stronger I must keep going. I must fight this battle for myself. And for you Naruto" she added in a whisper.

"I understand Hinata. Let's have a good match Hinata."

And then, the battle began.

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Well, the progression hasn't been exactly how I planned, but I decided to go with the flow.

Well? Review now! Tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 9: Hirameki Squared

Ha ha….hahahaha…hah…ok. Not funny. I'm really sorry. I have no idea what took me so long. Brief splurge on watchin all the Bleach episodes I could find…then playin Oblivion: Elder Scrolls…yeah, I've been kinda doing other things. But I will continue, don't worry!

Hmmm…It seems I forgot to put the jutsu list I used last chapter…I'll put em here real quick.

Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique) - The user, emerging from the ground below the target area, pulls down (or possibly swaps places with) the opponent so that only their head is above ground

"Hakke Rokujūyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) - This jutsu closes off sixty-four specific chakra points on an opponent's body, effectively eliminating their ability to use chakra for quite some time and making it quite difficult for them to move. It begins with two heavy strikes, followed by four more, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and finally sixty-four strikes.

"Konoha Daisenpu (Leaf Great Whirlwind) - This jutsu involves a powerful leap forward followed by a spinning kick with both legs in succession, the second kick being aimed lower in case the intended target ducks the first.

Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) - A modification of the Shadow Clone Technique, the user throws one shuriken at the victim and then uses this jutsu to create multiple copies of the shuriken to make the attack more powerful.

Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Release: Earth Shore Return) - After striking the ground with his hands, the user creates a large wall of earth that rises into place as defense. The defense is not perfect though, since a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall.

Hari Jizo (Needle Guardian) - Using this jutsu, the user can grow and harden his spiked hair to form a shield around him, protecting against most physical attacks and possibly injuring the attacker.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) - Similar to the Clone Technique, this jutsu creates clones of the user. Unlike the Clone Technique, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing jutsu on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one or two solid blows.

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld) - This jutsu turns a large area of land into a sinking swampland, making it impossible for anyone or anything in that area to move around. The size of the swamp is proportionate to the amount of chakra used to perform the technique. When performed by a drugged Jiraiya, this technique only created a large, semi-deep swamp that merely inhibited the movement of the snakes it was targeting. When performed properly, it is supposed to engulf the target completely.

Ok! Now that the formalities are over, I'm just going to say a few more things. In case you were wondering, Hirameki, in Japanese, means "Flash of Thunder" or "Flash of Lightning". Also, Buotoko means ugly.

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 9

"Ungh…where am I?" asked our young blonde hero, as he stood up shakily, rubbing his head. All he remembered was activating his newfound blade and dashing forward. After that, his memory went blank.

"Man, this feels so familiar…" he muttered, staring out at the golden plain that stretched out in front of him. "Which is strange, because I've never seen this place in my life…"

The entire land before him was a flat, monotonous land with golden grass growing out far as the eye could see. Naruto slowly turned, looking around him, but seeing nothing different at all angles. However, directly behind him, there was a single peak that jutted out of the flat landscape like a giant tooth. It was a long distance away, but Naruto decided to go that way anyway. He could get lost in that sea of grass…

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"Let's go! Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, Akamaru jumping onto his shoulders. "Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four Legs Technique)!"

The crowd roared in excitement. The final match had begun. Many betters, like Tsunade-sama herself were getting in some last minute bets. The odds were two to one, against Hinata. Everyone knew she was the weakest Hyuuga that had ever been born, right? Tsunade put her money down on Kiba, no matter how much she felt that Hinata had improved.

_Kiba is just too strong of a ninja for her right now. He has is one of the most promising young talents that we have in Konoha. He has the right blend of speed, strength, and strategy to win this entire thing. Ah…what am I saying? Hinata has been getting pretty strong lately…bah. Now I'm confusing myself. Maybe I should bet for Hinata...hmmm…I'll go with my instincts and pick Kiba to win!_

"I'll put down one thousand of the Inuzuka!" She removed herself from the small crowd in front of the gambling desk and rubbed her hands together. What she forgot was, her instincts were rarely right.

After using his jutsu, Kiba immediately became more animalistic in his appearance, dropping down on all fours and growing longer nails. Then, in a more bestial voice, he cried out "Jujin Bunshin (Beast Human Clone)!"

Akamaru jumped on his back and was disguised as Kiba. They both snarled at Hinata, but she only looked confused.

_Why would he use that on me? I'm sure he knows that I can see which one of them is the true Kiba…_

"Hinata! Let me ask you…" Kiba started off, "What good does it do if one can tell the difference, but can't stop them anyway? Gatsuuga (Double Piercing Fang)!"

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Naruto had made it to the stone peak. Finally. He had traveled for what seemed like days. But he never got tired, never got thirsty, and never got hungry. Naruto filed this under "S" for suspicious, but really didn't think about it too much. He was too focused on getting to the rock mountain that he seemed to gravitate to.

When he got to the base of the mountain, he looked up. _Great. Another long journey. This is a major pain in the ass._

He began his slow ascent up the side of the cliff, using his chakra to stick to the side of the rock. Every now and then, however, he would apply his chakra incorrectly, not giving him enough adhesiveness to stick, or too much causing his hand to be repelled by the excess force. There were multiple times when he hung by a single finger, as he looked down the steep cliff, his other arm hanging down at his side and his feet swaying in the wind.

Finally, he made it to the top. After he heaved his entire body onto the clearing, he stood up and looked around. The peak was actually more like a plateau, its flat top quite large in diameter. He continued to look around for any sign of life, but nothing was there. Suddenly, he felt a presence above him.

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Two whirling cyclones of spinning Kibas launched themselves at Hinata. Hinata tensed up, waiting until the last possible moment and jumped into the air. Immediately, she realized she made a mistake, as the second cyclone of claws and teeth adjusted straight up at her, preparing to make a direct hit. Unable to do much more, Hinata reached into her weapons pouch and threw a kunai with an exploding tag on it.

The tag erupted in mid air, causing the Gatsuuga to fall apart, however, Kiba and Akamaru landed on the ground gracefully. The same could not be said of Hinata. The explosion had occurred earlier than she had expected, and the shockwaves threw her off balance, causing her to fall straight onto her back.

"Ow…" she muttered, rubbing her back as she sat up.

"Don't let up Akamaru! Gatsuuga!"

Hinata stood up and her eyes widened as she saw a path of destruction headed towards her. This time, instead of dodging up, she dodged left, but again, the second Kiba that trailed behind pursued her, making her life much harder. Again, she threw a tagged kunai to prevent her opponent from getting closer.

_This is not working…he is using the same strategy and winning. I have to figure out a way to stop that, otherwise I'm going to run out of tags and he will win…_

"Ok Akamaru! We've got her on the ropes! Gatsuuga!"

Hinata formed eight bunshins which all ran in separate directions. The two Kibas were not fooled, however, as their keen sense of smell told them exactly which one was real. The continued following, but this time, Hinata had something in her sleeve.

She turned around and yelled, "Fuuton! Diatoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

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"Fuuton! Diatoppa!" Naruto yelled instinctively, sending a large gust of wind out from his body. As the jutsu took effect, Naruto glanced behind him to see who his enemy was. A strange warrior was blown off his feet and was in midair. And stayed there. Perhaps the strangest thing about his adversary was the huge white feathered wings spread over eight feet in diameter from his back. His gold armor shone in the sun, and his helmet prevented his face from being seen. And in his hand was Hirameki.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded, holding out one fist and shifting one foot in front of him, balancing himself. Being taught by Jiraiya wasn't half bad sometimes, and Naruto knew he had greatly improved in ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu to an extent.

"My identity does not concern you. How did u come into the possession of this sword?" the armored warrior asked sternly.

"Well maybe that doesn't concern you either!" Naruto answered caustically. He didn't like it when people ignored his questions. He didn't like it when people ignored him in general.

"Yes, it does. You could say that me and the sword have a…connection."

"Define a 'connection'"

"That knowledge I cannot impart. However, if you prove your worthiness, then I will answer all you questions"

"Uh, are you gonna use my own sword against me?" asked Naruto trying his patented puppy eyes. He wanted to use guilt to cause this mysterious man to not use Hirameki. If he did, he was doomed.

"Yes, but I will not use its powers. Yes, I know of them, I know much more about this sword than you could ever imagine," the swordman said as he gazed at the blade. "Come."

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An enormous gust of wind blew out from where Hinata planted her feet, causing the twin spinning cyclones to slow, then come to a complete stop. The crowd gasped at the spectacle, as it was amazing to see. The attack seemed to have frozen, but was still rotating in midair.

Finally, Kiba's jutsu wore off, but he just smirked. "Heh, it figures Hinata-chan would find a way to stop that eventually. Akamaru! Let's show her how far we've grown!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen him use that jutsu before, although she was on the same squad as Kiba. Not even her Byakugan could see which was real. All of the Kibas jumped into the air causing the sun to get blocked out partially.

"Tsuga Rein (Piercing Fang Rain)!" he cried, as all of the clones spun at high velocities and began to fall to the earth.

Hinata was surprised. Not only had Kiba never shown her this technique, it was obviously one that someone as proud as he would have trouble keeping a secret. Perhaps Kiba had more cunning than she had previously thought…But now was not the time for that. She snapped her attention back to the battle and performed one of the techniques that she had not shown her squad either.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding Mist)!" she called, as the area in the arena was covered by a thick veil of mist. The deadly bullets falling from the sky were still a problem, but the mist was a perfect solution. Not only could Hinata see just as well as before, due to her Byakugan, but Kiba could not as easily locate her, making the most of his attack clumsy and ineffective.

All of the piercing fangs collided with the earth, leaving sizeable craters in their wake, but after the impact, the clones were destroyed. The crowd groaned in displeasure, as their vision of the final battle had been severely hampered. Kiba began to search through the mist, sniffing the air and locating her presence. He continued to get nearer, until he could make her figure out vaguely. She had her back to him and seemed to be doing something he couldn't exactly make out.

"Hinata! You can't hide from me for long in this mist!"

"Kiba…I don't plan on hiding for much longer. It's over."

"You're forfeiting?" Kiba asked quizzically.

Hinata turned around, allowing Kiba to see the swirling ball spinning in front of her. "No, I'm going to end this, right now."

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Naruto had found the swordsman much more of a challenge than he'd previously thought. Many of his earth techniques were useless, since his opponent could fly. But he had managed to land a rasengan on him, and the man seemed to be down for the count. Naruto regained his breath and composure and called out to him from a distance.

"You're a lot stronger than you look, I'll give you that much. But I beat you, fair and square. Can I have my sword back or am I going to have to kick your ass all over again?"

The man slowly sat up, and used Hirameki to brace himself as he pushed his body into a standing position. "Hmph. You still don't understand, do you? This sword is more mine than it is your's. Let me show you what I mean."

The man stood up straight and thrust the sword into the ground, causing an amazing explosion to tear through the distance that Naruto had maintained. Naruto protected his eyes from the brilliant flash of light that resulted from the sword entering the earth. When Naruto looked up, he felt something he had pushed away from his emotions for a long time: fear.

Before him was, something enormous. It was the one thing that Naruto truly did not expect to face. It was a demon.

There it floated, grinning a strange, insane grin at Naruto, towering above him. It resembled some type of bird, a falcon Naruto guessed. Its wings were giant clouds, ready to block out the sun at any moment. Its eyes glinted red in the evening sun. Its talons were sharp as knives and its beak as pointed as a katana.

"You…you…a demon?" asked Naruto, falling down on his behind and shuffling a little away from the sight before him.

"So you finally realize the truth. I guess the old saying is true, seeing is believing. I am the four-tailed falcon."

"But…but…how?" asked Naruto, completely dumbfounded and confused as to how his opponent magically transformed into something so…impossible.

"Hmph, I suppose you still don't understand completely. I'll break it down for you, human, I am the four-tailed demon. You can call me…Hirameki. I do love irony…I can see you're confused again. Well, I'll see if I can explain that too. You see, about one-hundred years ago, I discovered a man who had stolen from me. Let me tell you a rule about demons: You do NOT steal from us. So I tracked him down to his village, and attacked. But their head ninja was able to fight me toe to toe. Not an easy task for a human"

"Pah, don't believe a word he says Naruto, he's such an egotistical blowhard. In reality, he was always one of the weakest tailed demons…except for his annoying speed"

Naruto, surprised at the arrival of a new voice spun around to find the origin of this new entity. Before him stood…himself. Yet different. He looked like Naruto, but you could tell that this person was not who he seemed. He radiated killer intent without even trying, and you knew just by looking at him that he could and would kill you without a second thought.

"Kyu…kyuubi?" sputtered Naruto, completely confused by this point.

"My my, it seems that we have confused my dear container Hirameki"

"Hmph. Kyuubi. So this is your container. At least mine doesn't ask stupid questions. And it's a lot smarter"

"Pah. Your container is a sword. Sure it might not ask questions and is probably a lot smarter, at least mine…come to think of it, what do you do?" Kyuubi asked as he turned to face Naruto.

Naruto stood there, looking from the clone of himself to the demon, still grinning maniacally at him. Eventually, the only words that he could mutter were "I'm not dumber than a damn sword."

"Haha, now I remember kid. You've got spunk! That's why I leave you alone…most of the time"

"So, mind if I continue on my story Kyuubi?" Hirameki asked, sarcasm evident in his polite words.

"No, not at all, please continue" Kyuubi responded, flourishing his hands in a way that was excessively honorific, but Hirameki ignored it.

"Good, no more interruptions out of you. So, I was in an even battle with a ninja from some village, I really don't remember which, you humans all look alike to me. Eventually, he found some kind of jutsu and sealed me in a damn sword. Annnd, Behold! Hirameki, the sword of wonders!"

"Sword of wonders my ass, more like sword of…my ass" interrupted Kyuubi.

"So…wait a minute…I'm confused" Naruto butted in before the two demons could start arguing again.

"As always" Kyuubi said as he rolled his eyes.

"So, since you were sealed in the sword, that's how the sword has its powers?" he asked, ignoring Kyuubi.

"Sounds like you've finally got it kid" Hirameki replied.

"Buuut…how did I get here?"

"Ah, good question. You see, when you activated my power, you were brought to my realm"

"But, why did you bring me here?"

"To be tested."

"Tested?"

"If you can fight me toe to toe, just like the ninja that sealed me into this prison, I will allow you to use my powers at any time"

"I have to…fight you?"

"Prepare yourself. I'm coming!" Hirameki roared, as he blasted forward, chakra covering his body forming a sharp spear at the tip of his beak.

Naruto's eyes widened, but he instinctively dived to the side, effectively dodging the attack. He was not ready to fight a demon. It was a demon! How could he hope to fight against one of the most powerful beings on the planet?

"Hey kid, don't give up" Kyuubi advised, suddenly standing very calmly at Naruto's side. Naruto heaved his way back up into a standing position.

"It's a demon! How am I supposed to fight against a demon?!"

"Listen up kid. He's been sealed. His powers are only a fraction of what he used to have. You can take him. But don't underestimate him. Take a look" Kyuubi pointed to the area Hirameki had made contact with after missing Naruto. At that point, there was an enormous crater. If Naruto took one hit from an attack like that, he was done for.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You'll think of something. After all, you are Konoha's most surprising ninja!" Kyuubi said cheerfully. With that, he disappeared.

"Shit…" Naruto muttered, as he looked back in front of him. Hirameki was missing.

"Pay attention kid!" a voice screamed from above him. Naruto looked up and audibly screamed. Again, he dove to his left, but this time, the area of effect of Hirameki's tremendous attack took its toll on Naruto. He roughly landed on the earth, slightly worse off than he started out.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto screamed, forming the familiar cross with his two index fingers.

"Oh goody! More of you to smash!" Hirameki screeched, still grinning maniacally. He flew up into the air and began his dive bomb attack again.

_I see…he gains altitude, and then dives…at the same time, he applies a spin to his attack, making it even more powerful…_ Naruto mused as he watched a clump of his shadow clones get obliterated. _It's time to improvise_.

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Hinata held the blue swirling mass in between her hands. She looked up with sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Kiba, but for me to get stronger, I have to do this."

"The…the…the rasengan?!" Kiba exclaimed. (A/N: heehee, made ya look)

"Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!" Hinata cried as the sphere of water she had been collecting from the mist she had created exploded towards Kiba. His eyes widened and tried to dodge, but the dragon followed his every movement, until it finally came crashing down onto him. After Kiba fell into blissful unconsciousness, Hinata too slumped down. She sat down, thinking about the battle she had just won against her teammate. But now that was all over. Yet, it was just the beginning. If she truly wanted to become stronger, chunnin rank was only the beginning. Hinata relaxed and released her mist technique, revealing to the anxious crowd the verdict of the battle. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats as the jounin checked both nins.

"Inuzuka Kiba is unable to battle. Hyuuga Hinata is the winner!"

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"Hahaha! You're weaker than I'd thought kid! You can't even touch me!"

"That's right, keep talking you ugly buzzard…" Naruto muttered as he began to execute his plan. All Hirameki had been doing for the last half hour was continue his dive attack. This allowed Naruto to come up with a plan.

"Here I come again kid!" Hirameki screeched as he dove yet again, taking out even more clones of Naruto.

"Ok guys, let's go!" Naruto yelled, gathering the rest of his clones together.

"Oh? Making an easy target for me so I can finish you off? How thoughtful!" Hirameki cackled sinisterly.

The remaining Narutos, about fifty, had gathered close together and began summoning all the chakra they could.

"Hm? Trying something sneaky eh? Well I won't let you finish!"

Hirameki dove towards the huddled Narutos and began to spin, effectively becoming a deadly drill prepared to obliterate Naruto, clones and all. However, as he neared, he noticed something amiss. All the Naruto clones were slowly backing away from one Naruto, presumably the original, and were summoning chakra to the center of the ring of clones. A blue orb had appeared in Naruto's hand and was growing by the second. From the size of a grapefruit to the size of his head, it continued to grow. All of the clones were dripping with sweat from the effort necessary to channel the necessary chakra and to maintain control of the devastating jutsu.

With only fifty feet separating the two attacks, Naruto looked upward, his preparations complete. The rest of the clones poofed out of existence, completely drained after their ordeal. The end result: A completely normal looking rasengan with only one difference. It was dark, opaque blue, different from his original light blue translucent orb. With twenty feet separating them, Naruto held out the attack and leapt forward, thrusting his hand to meet the demon head on.

"Rasengan **toukai! (Destruction Rasengan)"**

**In a bright flash, the two powerful techniques met and the landscape was engulfed by a bright light. Naruto clamped his eyelids shut to block out the light instinctively, but continued to press his palm forward, completely halting the progress of his foe.**

**And in a moment, the battle was over. Naruto found himself lying on his back, in the real world, the sword imprisoning the four tailed demon Hirameki lying beside him.**

**"Naruto! Naruto! Are you alright?"**

**Naruto sat up and opened his eyes. Jiraiya was running down the hill towards him, obvious concern in his eyes. Naruto silently stood up and picked up Hirameki. Apparently, his long ordeal with Hirameki had lasted only a split second in the real world.**

**"Hm…yeah old man. I'm fine. Just some chakra exhaustion, that's all."**

**"Baka! Don't worry me like that!" Jiraiya yelled, as he swung his fist down towards Naruto's head, only to feel his hand sailing through empty space.**

**"Too slow you fat geezer!" Naruto yelled, already a half mile away.**

**"I am going to kill him." Jiraiya resolved, inwardly smiling at his student's antics.**

**"Sigh, I guess I proved myself, eh Hirameki?"**

**"Yes, from now on, I am part of you, my powers, and my thoughts"**

**"Great, another damn demon in my head, just what I wanted" Naruto grumbled.**

"Hey, Hirameki, that's a funny looking scar u got there on your beak, where'd you get it?" taunted Kyuubi.

"Shut up! I wasn't expecting the Rasengan! Even so, it would have been fine if I hadn't gone easy on him!"

"Suuuure, whatever you say Hirameki"

"Will you two just shut up!?" screamed Naruto, scaring Jiraiya, who had just caught up.

"Uh, loosing your wits there Naruto?"

"I'm fine old man, you're the one going senile"

"Says the guy yelling at himself"

"For your information, I'm yelling at Kyuubi" Naruto stated a matter-of-factly.

"You said two…"

"Hm?"

"You said, "will you TWO shut up"…something wrong Naruto?"

Naruto seemed to slump, intriguing Jiraiya. It wasn't often that Naruto kept secrets from him, since Jiraiya was as close to a father figure as Naruto had ever had.

"Sigh…I wanted to keep this a secret a little longer, but I guess you have a right to know more than anyone else…you see…well, Hirameki, the sword, is holding Hirameki, the demon."

"…Wait, what?"

"That's what I said at first. Basically, this sword holds the sealed four tailed demon Hirameki. That's where it got it's powers, and it's name. I proved myself worthy, and now Hirameki is a part of me."

"…There's a demon in there?!"

"Yeeeep."

"And…you're going to keep it."

"Yeeeep."

"Hm…ok."

"You're okay with this?!" Naruto cried incredulously.

"Of course. You're a big boy now Naruto. You've grown. Plus, you already know how to deal with one demon influence, I don't see what's wrong with another."

"Uh, nice to see the confidence you have in me…I…I appreciate it…sensei."

"Hm? No "Ero-senin?""

"Hmph. Only when you act like it. By the way…the partner sword…I feel like it's my duty to get that one too…can't have too many demonic weapons floating around…"

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get moving!"

"Hai!"

"One more thing," Jiraiya said, grinning, "You remember how I told you that some elements combine into a new one?"

"Like…doton and suiton create wood, right?"

"Exactly. We'll need to work on yours too."

"What!? What is it?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

"…Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"Still no"

"Now?"

"Nope."

"Okay…fine…"

"Be patient Naruto"

"I'm trying!"

"Well, keep it that way."

"………How about now?"

"Oh. God."

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Three Years Later

"Ok Naruto, your training is complete. I don't think Akatsuki is too big of a threat any more. We should head back to Konoha! You excited?"

"Sure sensei. I can go see all my…friends…"

"Ok, finish packing up and we'll get going. I'll wait for you at the hot springs"

Naruto's cheerful face fell the second Jiraiya left the room.

"Konoha…I'm coming home."

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Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


	11. Chapter 10: Return to Konoha

Aight, nothin much to say here, just thanks for the reviews, they really do give me an incentive to keep goin.

Oh, and another thing, the characters in the story. Well, the first time jump was a year, so that makes them about 14, and this second one is 3 years, so that puts Naruto and the rookie nine around 17-18, with Gai's team a year ahead, got it?

Good.

A super spectacular extra long episode! Enjoy!

Chapter 10

A lone figure jumped through the lush green trees in the thick forest of Fire Country. His clothing clashed with the green hues, as he wore mostly beige and brown clothing. On closer inspection, one could see that the figure is a young man with shocking blonde hair. It is our hero, Uzumaki Naruto, and he has returned to Konoha after a long training mission taking over four years.

As he jumped through the trees, his brown cloak billowed with every leap, air rushing past him at high velocities. He kept his face mask, but instead of the black facemask that his sensei of old favored, he instead donned a beige colored mask. His entire attire followed the same color scheme, but it was evident that the colors were not for the purposes of fashion; rather, they were for functionality. But perhaps the most intimidating aspect of his appearance was the two swords strapped to his back crossed in an X.

True to his word, Jiraiya shown him his new affinity, doton mixed with fuuton, sand. He had traveled to Suna, where he trained day in and day out on the dunes of the desert, going into town only when absolutely necessary and making sure to take off his hiate and any other tell tale signs of his ninja status. He and Jiraiya had been extremely careful the past few years to keep themselves hidden from the Akatsuki organization.

Naruto paused on a tree branch, looking back at where he supposed his perverted sensei was. He had remained back in the last town, telling him he had some unfinished "research" to finish, but he knew what that meant. Naruto had only made a face and stated he would travel back alone. It was at this pause that Naruto noticed he was only about ten minutes away from Konoha.

As Naruto looked back forward to continue his journey, he noticed a presence ahead of him. Judging by the hidden chakra signature and killer intent, Naruto assumed that this new being had detected him as well. No matter how well a ninja could mask their chakra or killer intent, he could detect them. That was one of the perks of being the container of the Kyuubi. "One of the few…" Naruto muttered.

As the ninja neared, Naruto stopped on a branch and leaned up against the thick trunk of the tree. He had grown over the years, reaching six feet. Or so he told people. In reality, he was five feet, eleven and three-quarters, but no one had to know that. Although the vertical growth was impressive from his extremely small size as a youngster of thirteen, what was really impressive was his growth in bulk. He was large, not fat, with broad shoulders. His muscles were well defined, but not massive, though one could tell that his he was as strong as a man many times his size.

As he leaned up against the trees, he sighed, waiting for the other ninja to arrive. In a few seconds, he got his wish. A Konoha ANBU appeared on a branch a few meters away and stood in a very relaxed stance. It was obviously a kunoichi, judging not only by the dark strands of hair hanging down her back in a long ponytail (standard for kunoichi ANBU, as it did not interfere with their movement), but also by her curves that Naruto took a long pause to notice. Spending over four years with a pervert tended to rub off certain qualities on someone.

"Halt and identify yourself" commanded the ANBU, exuding confidence and power, just by the way she said it.

"Hm, I'd rather not" drawled Naruto, still leaning against the trunk.

"Oh, but I must insist" the nin stated, remaining in her previous position, arms crossed and standing straight up.

"Well, since you asked that way…I must respectfully decline." And with those words, the ANBU flickered from his sight, disappearing and reappearing behind him.

_She's fast!_ Naruto screamed in his mind, trying to spin around to meet his assailant. But he felt a tickling sensation in his back and froze.

"I have pressed a pressure point on your spine that has paralyzed you from the neck down. Try anything and I'll channel chakra into it and the effects will be permanent. Now tell me who you are and what you're doing in Konoha"

Naruto smirked and replied jauntily back to her, "You know, if I'm paralyzed from the neck down, I really shouldn't be able to do this, should I?" as he wiggled his fingers.

Beneath her falcon shaped mask, the kunoichi's eyes widened in surprise. Pulling back her hand which had previously been used to incapacitate the target, or so she thought, she thrust it forward again, this time surrounded by visible blue chakra.

"Jyuuken!" she cried, revealing her Hyuuga bloodline. Her hand impacted with his back and the blonde haired shinobi slumped. The ANBU breathed out, relieved that she had been able to make up for her previous mistake. The jyuuken she had just used should have caused his heart to implode on contact. But something was wrong. She inspected the nin closer and found that not only was he still breathing, but he was chuckling. For the second time in a minute, her eyes widened. As the nin straightened out, the ANBU noticed that the area she had struck began to disintegrate. Out of the strange nin's back, sand began to sift down to the forest floor. When she had attacked him with the jyuuken, she had only forced chakra into an armor of sand surrounding the target's body. She suddenly realized that the same armor that protected him from the jyuuken also protected his pressure point from being accessed properly.

"Heh heh, aggressive little kunoichi, aren't we?" asked Naruto mockingly, turning to face her.

Hyuuga Hinata was confident in her abilities. She never backed down in a fight. But for once, a strategic retreat seemed like a good idea. She jumped back from the trunk that she and the blonde haired shinobi were sharing, putting some distance between them. She had been surprised twice already, and it was beginning to annoy her.

"I will repeat myself only one more time. Identify yourself and state your business."

"Hmph. I will repeat myself only one more time. I refuse." Naruto replied, mimicking Hinata's tone.

"Then I am forced to fight" conceded Hinata, sliding into the familiar gentle fist fighting stance.

"Hm, Hyuuga eh? You stuck up bastards may act like you have a stick up your butts all the time, but there's no denying your battle proficiency."

"You act as if you know all about my clan, but you are not from Konoha. Are you here to steal the Hyuuga eyes? Are you a Kumo (Cloud) assassin?"

"Nope and nope again. One more question wrong and you're out!" Naruto playfully teased.

"Are you always this annoying?"

"Hm" Naruto hummed, as his body seemed to flicker out of existence.

"Byakugan!" cried Hinata, calling upon her powerful dojutsu, giving her the ability to see in 360 degree vision. She audibly gasped as she saw him racing towards her from behind. She dove out of the way just in time, dodging a spinning kick meant to separate her head from her shoulders. She landed gracefully on the ground below the branch she had been standing on and was forced to dodge again as a flying kick came from above. As she rolled out of the way, she noticed the sizeable crater that the impact of his kick had created. She mentally made a note to avoid such an attack in the future.

The ninja stood back up and straightened his broad shoulders, smirking. Throughout his training, Naruto had picked up a bad habit. During a fight, he would often test his opponent, something that could mean his defeat in a serious battle. However, he was so used to sparring against Jiraiya that he never really went all out and as a result, mostly tested his opponents, learning of their weak spots and their strong points, but never really exploiting them unless he really needed to.

Naruto smirked and dashed forward, lunging with a right hook. Hinata raised her left arm to intercept it, but rather than block, she instead used her palm to gently push his forearm out of its original trajectory and allowed it to continue moving. Rather than take the impact to her palm, she allowed it to glide, shifting his fist's trajectory very gently, causing it to sail over her head, leaving his side exposed for a swift kick to Naruto's ribs.

Naruto stumbled forward, clutching his ribs and this time tried a different strategy. This time, he dashed forward at her, like before, but before he came within five meters of her, he flickered behind her, sweeping his leg low in an attempt to knock her down. But Hinata's all seeing eyes allowed her to see the attack and jump, evading the sweep kick. Frustrated, Naruto attacked blindly again, coming at her with a flurry of kicks and punches, each met with the same defense he had met with his first attack. A strange guard that never allowed any direct contact and that left him open for attacks every time he attacked. He decided it was like fighting water. You could hit it as hard as you like, and you would make contact every time, but you could never really score a solid hit.

Naruto jumped back, pondering the situation. The ANBU before him was no pushover. No ANBU was. But for some reason, he couldn't even lay a hit on her, and she stood there in the same position as before, barely breathing hard. He decided that if taijutsu couldn't beat her, then his ninjutsu would just have to make up the slack.

In his opponent's mind, similar thought were racing. Hinata was surprised at the resiliency of this strange blonde enigma, as she had landed several sound blows to softer points of the body. Yet he continued to attack as if nothing had happened, only pausing a second to acknowledge the hit and perhaps rub it a few seconds, only to continue his assault. She decided that if her taijutsu couldn't beat him, then her ninjutsu would just have to make up the slack.

"Futon: Great Breakthrough!" they both cried in unison. (A/N: from now on, my jutsus will be in English, except for perhaps the beginning part, i.e. futon in this case. Japanese is just too much trouble.)

Both of the shinobi caused huge gusts of wind to blast from their respective locations at each other, attempting to knock the other down. But all that resulted from the two powerful attacks was a loud boom as the two winds clashed. After that, there was only silence and stillness. Hinata was surprised that her attack had been countered so easily by this strange ninja, but not as surprised as Naruto. He had always thought his ninjutsu was superior to most other people, and being in a stalemate was not his idea of superiority.

Naruto began making seals with his hands again at high speeds, only to see he was being matched by his opponent.

"Earth Dragon!"

"Water Dragon!"

The two dragons made of earth and water, respectively, roared as they charged forward and lunged at each other, opening their jaws as if to swallow up the other. With a loud crash they met and both attacks dissipated.

_Shit! Her ninjutsu is just as good as mine! Ok, I'll go for a combo attack!_

Naruto made more seals, this time creating an earth clone, and at the same time concealing himself underground with the Inner Decapitation technique that he had learned from Jiraiya early in his training. He knew from experience that Hyuugas didn't check underground often. He had Neji to thank for that.

Hinata, not noticing this change was worried about herself. _What else can I even do? This guy…he may be even stronger than I am!_

Strengthening her resolve, she dashed forward again, striking with her deadly Jyuuken strikes that could cause incredible internal damage with just a touch. After her first experience with his sand armor, she figured if she was able to channel enough chakra into her strikes she may be able to push some through it into his body. Each strike, however, was dodged, or blocked at her forearm, protecting him from her dangerous glowing hands.

She back flipped and in midair began to make more seals she yelled "Kaze no Yaiba!" In her hand formed a sword made entirely of wind, allowing it to cut through almost anything. She again attacked, this time not with the gentle fist which she had almost perfected, but her kenjutsu, or blade skills. This time, she caught him off guard, striking with all her might slicing his stomach open, causing him to bleed…dirt?

The earth bunshin fell apart in front of her and her Byakugan searched for her true opponent. She whipped around to see Naruto charging forward at her, another earth dragon at his side. She jumped to the side to avoid the dragon, who roared in anger as it crashed through several trees, but that left her open for Naruto to incapacitate. He put her into a full nelson, his grip feeling like an iron vice.

"Gotcha" he muttered into her ear.

"You wish" she shot back, as she dissolved into water.

_A mizu (water) bunshin!_

Before he could react, he felt a breeze as he looked behind him carefully. Hinata stood behind him, holding the Kaze no Yaiba to his neck, prepared to kill him without hesitation. But before she could do anything else, Naruto smiled childishly and thrust his body at her. In her surprise, she sliced of his head, but was again surprised to find it was a second earth bunshin.

Feeling the same vice-like grip encircling her from behind, she unintentionally released her Kaze no Yaiba. He again put her into a nelson, holding her harms and head, preventing even the slightest movement.

_Damn! There were two clones…and the other must have been hiding underground…_

"So, are we going to keep fighting? Cuz if so, I should really kill you now"

Hinata slumped. She was in major trouble.

"Kkkzz. Hinata? I'm comin. Be ready" Hinata, surprised at the sudden noise in her earpiece made a slight nod, something that no one would notice unless they were looking for it.

"So, what should I do now…? Wait for sensei? Or just go to Konoha now?" Naruto mused out loud.

"How bout this? You go to hell!" yelled a new gruff voice. Naruto looked up as a spinning vortex sped in his direction. Surprised, he let his grip lighten for only a split second, but that was all Hinata needed. She twisted out of his grip and with surprising agility, slipped out completely and flipped over his head, this time holding him instead of the other way around.

Naruto's eyes widened, but his quick reflexes caused him to instinctively jump to the side, taking Hinata's light form with him for a ride. He landed ungracefully on the ground and found both of his opponents standing a short distance away from him. He stood up slowly and brushed himself off. The two ANBU stood still like two statues, waiting for him. The new arrival had the mask of a vicious dog, or wolf, or some other canine, Naruto couldn't tell.

As he readied himself, the dog masked ANBU began to run towards him, and yelled "Gatsuga!"

Naruto jumped to the left, and instantly began looking for the second attack he knew was coming, but to no result. Suddenly, in fluidity that comes only from practicing a technique thousands of time, the second drill attack that had been hiding from view behind the first veered off and sped directly towards Naruto, suspended in the air and unable to dodge.

Naruto, realizing he would not be able to avoid the attack, instead thrust his hand forward, earning an audible shock from the Byakugan user below him.

Kiba stood beside her and asked "What is that guy doing?"

"He's…using a chakra technique to stop Akamaru…He's expelling large amounts of chakra from his palm and spinning the chakra at high speeds to counter Akamaru's spin…"

"So, it's like a barrier of chakra?" Hinata slowly nodded her head in agreement, watching the chakra spin and wondering why it seemed so familiar. Above them, Naruto was winning the battle between himself and Akamaru.

"Hm. You're tough, but you're no demon" he muttered as he gave one final push, throwing Akamaru forcibly away. For the first time, Naruto saw the white dog, who had grown so much that he was up to Kiba's chest even while on all fours. Akamaru landed gracefully on the ground and growled, fangs bared.

"Kiba, did you…"

"Yeah, I did already, it should only take another minute or so…"

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"WHO'S KUNAI IS THIS? C'MON, FESS UP! FINE, DETENTION FOR ALL OF YOU!" yelled a very angry Akamichi Chouji. It was five minutes before the bell and the Academy students were running wild. A soft knock caused Chouji to spin around and face the open door.

"Hm. Chouji. There's something going on" his oldest friend said lazily as he lifted up the small metal device on his belt. A small red light was blinking on and off at the tip.

"Hm? A distress call? OK KIDS, YOU CAN LEAVE A LITTLE EARLY TODAY. REMEMBER TO DO PAGES 135-136 FOR HOMEWORK!" he screamed as he slipped a smooth white bear mask over his face. He looked back towards Nara Shikamaru who had also slipped his falcon mask on. "Where's Ino?"

"HANDS OFF YOU LITTLE PERV!" screamed a familiar voice. Chouji looked behind him to see another ANBU with a cat mask on caught in the bustling stream of children all trying to escape out of a single doorway. Shikamaru motioned with his head to the window and all three leapt out towards the forest, every step bringing them closer to the disturbance, causing the light to flash faster and faster.

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Hinata and Kiba were not faring well. Against any other shinobi, they would have probably already won, but this guy was unbelievable. Not only was his sand an annoying hindrance, but every wave of fighting he had a new trick up his sleeve. _At least he hasn't used those swords yet_, she thought warily as she flipped over him, eyeing the two sheathed blades.

"Dammit! Where is our backup!?" Kiba cried in frustration as he was fought back again. He had scored a few decent hits on him that would make most other shinobi at least wince, but this guy didn't even acknowledge the hit. He only kept up his relentless attack. But what annoyed Kiba most was the feeling that he was only playing with them, testing them.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Kiba yelled, making a cross with his fingers. Ten more clones popped into existence and encircled Naruto. His eyes widened a little from his bored look but he remained otherwise unimpressed.

"Tsuga!" all of the Kibas exclaimed, attacking him all at once. Naruto decided at this time he would try something he never had even attempted. In theory, it should be easy enough…

"Kaiten!" he yelled, almost comically. He spun sloppily and quite slowly, but his chakra output made up for it. Hinata's jaw almost hit the floor as she saw him with her Byakugan, completely surprised that this shinobi even knew of the legendary ultimate defense. Sure, it was ugly, but nevertheless, it was effective. The enormous chakra defensive technique blew away all of the clones, as well as the real thing.

Naruto stopped spinning and breathed out. He was dizzy. So dizzy in fact, that he thought he saw three of the Hyuuga ANBU. As they ran towards him, he realized that there were, in fact, three of them, all running towards him with kunai ready to impale him.

As Hinata neared, she saw the disoriented ninja make a few seals, and then she was forced to jump back. The ninja not only had his sand armor, but apparently could also use his sand as a defensive shield, just like the Kazekage. Her quick reflexes kept her from impacting with the sand, but her clones were not as lucky. Usually, a wall of sand would not make Hinata retreat, but this particular shield of sand had spikes emerging from it.

Naruto, still on his knees, released his sand defense. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep it up long enough, but he was feeling better now. As he tried to stand up, he discovered his limbs were locked up.

"Hn. Kage Mane no jutsu success." (A/N: I've decided to do Japanese when I feel like it. And right now I feel like it. ANY ONE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? GOOD. I DIDN'T THINK SO.)

Naruto strained his eyes to look up into the corner of his vision and he saw three more Konoha ANBU. Him versus five ANBU was pushing it. But the dog user ANBU was already pretty injured, and also almost out of chakra. The Hyuuga he wasn't too worried about, as her gentle fist was almost useless against his armor of sand. But these next three. He would have to test them to see how strong they were. The first two subjects of his testing had sorely disappointed him.

"Ino. Do it" drawled the ninja who was immobilizing Naruto.

"Hai! Shintenshin no jutsu" the blonde female whispered, holding her arms pointing at the vulnerable Naruto. She slumped and Naruto felt another mind enter his.

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"Hmmmm" mused Yamanaka Ino, as she opened her eyes in a dark, wet, dungeon corridor. "This must be his mind. I guess this is some kind of mind defense…"

As she continued through the corridors, she felt drawn to a certain point. As she neared it, she entered a last hallway that seemed to lead to a much larger cavernous room. As she began to walk forward to enter it, the strange shinobi appeared before her, blocking her progress.

"Stop. Get out of my head woman" he spat, crossing his arms.

"What's in that room?" Ino asked inquisitively, trying to peer around the broad shouldered nin.

"Nothing. Now get out before I force you."

"Hah! You don't understand, in your mindscape, my power is only limited by my will!" she scoffed, as plates of silver armor appeared on her body, and a large katana appeared in her hands.

"Limited by your will hm? Well, let's see if this works both ways…" as he said these words, gold armor began to appear on him, as well as a large axe in his hands. "Let's rumble."

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"Gyaaaah!" yelled Ino, as her body fell backwards into Shikamaru's arms.

"Ino! What happened?" Shikamaru asked worriedly.

"He…he blocked my jutsu! That's not even saying it! He hurled me back! I didn't think that was even possible…" Ino trailed off, losing her confidence.

_Hn. Well, that was disappointing_. Naruto thought, still frozen in place by Shikamaru's Kage Mane.

Naruto began to push against the force that held him down, causing Shikamaru's attention to snap back towards the target.

"Shit! He's fighting the Kage Mane! Chouji!"

"Way ahead of you Shika!" Chouji yelled over his shoulder, already halfway down to the ground. In midair, he turned into his infamous meat tank and impacted on the ground, spinning and began to roll towards the immobile blonde shinobi.

Naruto saw the attack out of the corner of his eye and began to push even harder. All of his muscles were screaming but he continued to push them to their limits. Shikamaru was in even worse shape, sweating and shaking as he struggled to keep his jutsu from breaking. He was amazed by the incredible strength that was causing him to slowly lose his hold on him.

Chouji continued to roll at high velocities towards the shinobi, but at the point of impact that he expected to make contact, he only rolled through empty space. He released his meat tank and found that the shinobi had escaped Shikamaru's Kage Mane.

Naruto had rolled out of the way in the nick of time. Had he been only a few seconds slower, he would have been seriously injured by the ANBU's collective attack. He paused to regain his breath and his composure. It wasn't every day that he took on five ANBU. Before he could completely recover, two new figures appeared before him. He looked up from his kneeling position and saw another two ANBU. _SHIT! HOW MANY GUYS ARE GOING TO COME AFTER ME?!_

"Please stop fighting." One of the new arrivals said very passively. His long brown hair was tied in a tightly wrapped pony tail. Neither he, nor his partner was wearing masks. All of the other ANBU visibly relaxed.

_Thank god! It's the captain!_ thought Yamanaka Ino, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You…you hurtsh my f-f-friendshhh," slurred the other, slowly rocking back and forth.

"Lee, calm down." commanded the other.

Naruto, in horror, looked at the apparently very drunk Rock Lee. He was doomed.

Lee gave the ANBU captain a disgusted look. "You don't tell me wh-what to do you shhhhtupid shhhhtick up your ashhhhhhh Hyuuga" he muttered, as he whipped out a flask from his weapons pouch and took a long swig.

"Shhhhooooo, what are your commandsh, oh "Great and wonderful captain"?" Lee asked, giggling at his sarcasm.

Naruto looked up in confusion at the interaction between these two new arrivals.

"Identify yourself and your business or be taken down intruder." Hyuuga Neji was not in the mood for this. Already, five ANBU had been deployed and they still hadn't come back with results.

_If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself…_

"Uh, why does everyone keep saying the same thing over and over?" asked Naruto, smirking as he picked himself off the ground. "Well, I'll give you the same answers as I gave the other Hyuuga. No, and no."

"Well, in that case…" Neji trailed off. Then, without warning, he thrust his palm forward, blazing with chakra, connecting with Naruto's chest. Naruto went flying backwards from the force behind the thrust and collided with a particularly thick tree trunk. As he slid down, he went limp, faking unconsciousness. Neji remained expressionless as he walked up calmly and confidently to inspect his handiwork.

Before he was close enough to touch the unmoving nin, however, a sharp voice crackled over his earpiece. "Neji-kun! Get away now!" The sheer urgency in Hinata's voice caused him to jump backwards without a second thought, probably saving him from being seriously injured, as milliseconds after Neji had hastily retreated, spikes of sand shot up out of the ground he had been standing on.

As Neji landed gracefully next to his partner, the strange blonde intruder stood back up.

"Heh. Almost gotcha there!"

"Hm. Lee…" Neji trailed off, knowing that he really didn't even have to say anything. After working with the same partner for over four years, they began to think on the same lines, often knowing what to do in a fight before the other said anything. As he looked at the space Lee had been standing in a moment ago, he only saw a flurry of leaves as Lee disappeared.

"Konoha…" Lee muttered, his torso low to the ground as he rushed the blonde.

Naruto also began to run towards him. As they began to approach each other, only those with the Byakugan could track their movements.

"Senpu!" they both cried, as, in another flurry of leaves, they disappeared and reappeared facing each other, already in the air spinning, swinging kicks that could topple trees. The two legs met with a resounding boom, shockwaves from the force behind the blows rippling out to the ANBU surrounding the two ninja.

"In-incredible!" murmured Kiba, as he felt the shockwaves bombard his body.

The two kicks finally separated and the two battling ninja jumped back from each other. Lee nodded his head in recognition to his opponent. Not only had he matched Lee's move somehow, but he had matched his strength as well, not an easy task. Lee stepped back and took a long gulp of his flask.

As he put it back into his weapons pouch, he struck. With blinding speed, he lashed out at Naruto, sending a flurry of punches and kicks at him. Naruto tried to block and dodge, but Lee's drunken fist techniques were impossible to predict and even harder to keep up with.

As he was sent flying backwards by one particularly strong kick, Naruto began to strategize. _What has beaten Lee before?_ He began to think back to all of the battles that he'd seen Lee lose. Which, sadly, was not many. Lee's leg had been crushed by Gaara's desert funeral, but Naruto didn't want to cripple Lee, just incapacitate him. Perhaps…Yes! That was what he could do!

As Lee rushed him for the second time, Naruto watched carefully as his attack came at him. The first punch was a feint and Naruto saw the true attack coming beneath his guard, aiming for his stomach. As Lee's leg got closer, sand began to form, creating strange spikes, blocking his attack. They didn't look exactly like spikes, rather, more like…bones.

Naruto smirked at Lee's dumbfounded look as he shoved Lee back and began his own assault. Every time one of Lee's attacks would penetrate his defense, Naruto just used Kimimaru's strategy and used his sand to form a defense on his body. Finally, Naruto was able to catch him with four particularly well used earth bunshin and the inner decapitation technique, one of Naruto's favorites.

Try as he may, Lee could not escape, and he was reduced to hurling profanities at the chuckling blonde shinobi. However, as he looked up from his fight, he found the remaining shinobi surrounding him, with the shadow using one in the back, whispering into his communicator. Then, in unison, Naruto noticed a slight head nod. He wouldn't have noticed it had he not seen seven shinobi do it at the same time.

He was intrigued at what kind of strategy Shikamaru could come up with. From what he could remember, Nara Shikamaru was quite a strategist and would always come up with an effective plan. As he remembered some of the plans Shikamaru had devised, Naruto began to feel a little nervous, searching for the attack and the attack underneath the attack.

The first attack was announced quite loudly from directly behind him.

"Gatsuga!"

Naruto whipped around and rolled to his right as the first vortex skimmed the ground harmlessly, but the second whirlwind of claws was right behind him and was able to compensate. This time Naruto had no choice but to jump straight up, as Chouji had blocked off all other escape routes with his oversized hands. However, as he jumped up, he saw Kiba attack yet again with another Gatsuga. _He's getting troublesome_ he mused.

"Earth Dragon!"

A large dragon shaped column of mud and earth threw itself at the spinning form of Inuzuka Kiba and threw him backwards, knocking him out. However, Naruto noticed that where he landed, he was directly in between the motionless form of Kiba and the blonde kunoichi who had entered his mind earlier. _ Ino probably_, Naruto deduced.

"Shintenshin no jutsu!" she yelled, holding her hands before her aiming at Naruto. He dodged quite easily, secretly amused at the sloppiness of the attack. However, as he dodged, he found he had again done exactly what they had planned. As he moved to dodge the mind body switch technique, Naruto saw a black band of shadow move towards him. Again, he dodged, this time by jumping straight into the air. Relieved that he had dodged Shikamaru's shadow, he hadn't noticed that someone had snuck up behind him.

"Tsuga!"

"What?!" Naruto cried, looking behind him. It was Kiba! But he had knocked him unconscious, hadn't he?! As the attack made contact with his chest, he noticed that Ino's form was lying on the ground, motionless. He had been standing between her and Kiba…maybe…maybe he wasn't the target the whole time?!

But his musings were cut off as he was thrown back forcibly by the piercing fang technique. His chest burned like fire, but he was in pretty good shape he assessed. However, he was again surprised to find that Ino had gotten up and was now holding him from behind with a kunai to his neck.

"H-how?!" Naruto exclaimed. If Ino was in Kiba's body, then how was she back into the equation. He was forced to freeze, lest he lose his head.

"Hn. Kage mane no jutsu success." Shikamaru smirked, holding his jutsu control over Ino's currently mindless body.

"Yatta! Go Shika!" yelled Kiba very femininely, throwing his hand in the air and giggling like a girl.

But Naruto would not…could not stand for this.

"Hari Jizo!" As he yelled the words, his hair lengthened and hardened, causing Shikamaru to make his Ino puppet jump back, preventing her from getting skewered. However, at that time, Ino returned to her body, allowing Kiba's body to fall twenty feet to the forest floor, and for Shikamaru to release his hold on her body.

"Shadow Neck Bind!" he muttered, making seals again at a fast pace.

His shadow again flew forward, and this time made contact with Naruto. Shadow hands began to creep up his body, immobilizing his legs and arms, slowly working up to his neck to strangle to life out of him.

Still struggling to keep his hold on Naruto, Shikamaru called out in a strained voice, "Neji! Hinata! Now!"

It was at that point that Naruto noticed that on either side of him, there were two Hyuuga, in identical stances.

"You are in the range of our divination."

_Oh shit_

"Two strikes!" they called out, dashing forward and pressing two areas on his arms. The places where the pushed chakra into did not enter his tenketsu, as they were meant to, as his sand was able to intercept it. That did, however, leave the spot exposed, Naruto realized, as the sand became useless when foreign chakra mixed with his.

His realization became fear as the Hyuuga yelled "Four strikes!" Their next four strikes were in perfect unison, striking the spots that the other had just pressed, allowing them to sneak in under his sand which was falling from his tenketsu points like a fountain.

"Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes! Sixty-four strikes! Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" They yelled together, assaulting Naruto with a barrage of strikes that to the naked eye were only blurs.

The two Hyuuga took a step back to see their handiwork. Shikamaru jumped down with them, and the rest of the ANBU surrounded the large nin, seeing if the danger was over.

"Wow. It only took us seven ANBU and a half hour of fighting…" Ino scoffed.

"Hmph. Let's go dig Lee out of the ground" Neji said plainly, hands folded across his chest.

As they walked over to their disabled team members, namely Lee, stuck up to his neck in the earth, and Kiba, still out cold, most likely worse off than before because of the twenty foot drop down from a tree.

What they didn't notice, was that the shinobi the left for unconscious fluttered his eyelids. As they tended to their wounded, Naruto got up slowly as to not alert them of his presence. He had been able to negate the brunt of the attack, thought it wasn't easy. Knowing their strategy after the first few strikes made it through his defense, he was able to concentrate all his sand on only his tenketsu, not his entire body. The concentration of the sand made it much less permeable to their chakra and he was able to stop their strikes. Well, most of them. He still had a good twenty points closed, but with a quick burst of chakra, he should be able to blow them open with force. Sure, it would burn like hell, but he was willing to take the consequences. As he took a deep breath, Hinata turned around in a mixed look of pity and worry, as she wanted to make sure the nin they had defeated wasn't in critical condition. She didn't want to kill any more than she absolutely had to. But what she saw caused her to audibly cry out.

Naruto had made it to his feet, though he was still mostly hunched over, with one of his arms hanging limply at his side. He concentrated his chakra within himself tighter and tighter until he released it and it exploded out, forcibly opening his tenketsu back up and sending a wave of chakra at the ANBU. They could all feel this, and they turned around, again, ready to fight.

"Shit! How much does it take to take this guy down?!" yelled Kiba in frustration, newly revived by some first aid by Hinata and Ino.

"More than you'll ever have mutt" shot back Naruto, talking big, but knowing that he could not hope to take them all down together.\

"Grrr…What was that?!"

"You heard me, MUTT"

"That's it! Stand back, I'm gonna take him down myself!"

"Kzzzkt. Negative, please stand by. Approaching fast and ready to take him down. Repeat, stand by."

Again, Naruto noticed the slight head nod given by all seven ANBU. _Shit, something's goin down. Gotta be ready for anything_.

They all waited, standing in their fighting poses, but not moving an inch. Leaves swirled around the forest, and all at once, a sound pierced the air.

_B-birds? No! It's…it's…_

Naruto looked up, seeing two more ANBU come at him from above. But this arrival chilled him to the bone. In the hand of the leading one, was a crackling orb of lightning, striking out in random directions and emitting a sound of chirping birds.

Immediately, with reflexes trained by hard battle year after year, Naruto whipped out one of his swords. The ANBU dove forward and thrust his hand forward, pushing one of the deadliest attacks ever known at Naruto.

"RAIKIRI!" he screamed, trying to skewer Naruto through his defense.

As the attack came forward, Naruto held the flat of his blade as a shield, holding the hilt with one hand and bracing the flat of the blade with his other palm.

"FUMETSU!" he yelled, as the Raikiri collided with his sword. Uchiha Sasuke smirked. _Raikiri pierces everything_, he thought, as he forced the lightning edge forward, just waiting to feel the sword snap and his hand enter the nin's torso.

But that never happened. Naruto only gave one giant heave forward, cancelling Sasuke's attack, causing him to shut his eyes as a bright flash emanated from the sword and the Raikiri. When he opened his eyes, he only saw the blonde shinobi and both swords sheathed.

Sakura had met up with the others and was now dumbstruck.

"But…but…how? The Raikiri…there's no way…it should have…it should have cut through!" she sputtered.

"What are you talking about Sakura?" Shikamaru asked, wondering what the big deal was.

"That attack…the Raikiri…that was sensei's attack. It…it cuts through anything! It got its name from when Kakashi-sensei cut through a bolt of lightning! Blocking it…it's impossible!"

"Hm…" Shikamaru turned back to the two nins, staring each other down, both frozen, yet radiating killer intent.

"Who are you" commanded Sasuke. He didn't ask questions, he commanded people to tell him things.

"You want to know who I am?! DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? Then listen up! I am the forgotten! I AM THE BETRAYED! KIRIGAKURE NO JUTSU!"

A thick fog encircled the ANBU, who instinctively formed a circle, protecting themselves from an attack at any angle or side.

"My name?! This is my name!" a voice boomed around them.

"Neji…Hinata?" Shikamaru muttered. The two Hyuuga nodded and made the seal to activate their powerful all seeing doujutsu.

"What…? It…It's not working!" exclaimed Neji. For the first time, it felt like he was in the dark. He could not see with his Byakugan, and he was vulnerable. "Why can't I activate my Byakugan?!"

Suddenly, the sound of pattering feet came from two separate directions.

"My name is…" came the booming voice, resounding around them from all directions.

Two clones of the strange blonde shinobi came racing at either side of the circle, holding glowing blue orbs in their hands.

Hinata's eyes widened at the attack and exclaimed "The rasengan!"

The clones came rushing at them and made the single syllable "U!"

The two clones were dealt with easily, as it only took a single jyuuken strike from Hinata and a Konoha Senpu from Lee, who, after causing the shadow clone to explode, took a long sip of sake as a reward. The nine ANBU retreated back into their circle after they had dealt with the clones.

Then, they heard more feet coming towards them, this time, there were four, all holding rasengan. This time, they yelled the syllable "ZU!" Again, four shadow clones were no match for the elite of Konoha, but soon after, before they could reform their defensive circle, eight clones rushed them, screaming "MA!"

This time, defeating the clones proved to be more difficult, but still relatively easy.

More clones rushed from the surrounding mist, sixteen this time, yelling "KI!"

Comprehension dawned on several of the Konoha ANBU, shaking at what they knew would come next. As the last clone fell, his rasengan creating a large crater in the earth where he collided, thirty two clones flew out of the mist, the real Naruto amongst them, screaming, "MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

The ANBU were dead on their feet and could only watch in horror as thirty two deadly techniques were thrust at their faces, and halted inches away. The clones were sweating and panting. And with that, they all disappeared, leaving nine ANBU to wonder what had just happened.

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Um, yeah, if Naruto seems a little miffed, remember he doesn't know that his friends are still…his…friends…because…yeah, remember? He left, thinking they would hate him, and now he still thinks that, ergo, the hostility.

REVIEW NOW.


	12. Chapter 11: Return to Konoha Part 2

This chap was kinda rushed…it's basically a filler thing, showing Naruto's return, so I didn't really proofread it or anything. Please bear with me if you see mistakes or there is a lapse in my writing….

One matter of business before we start. A couple of you have asked about anonymous reviews, and as of now…I accept anonymous reviews! Of course, I'd rather have non-anonymous, but if that's not possible, any reviews are fine with me.

On with the show!

I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 11

Naruto leapt through the trees as fast as his feet could take him. He was exhausted, but he could feel his insane stamina coming back. He realized that he was running for no reason really. None of those ANBU were in any condition to chase after him. But he ignored this fact, and just kept running. Running from his past. Running from his problems. Running from the inevitable.

He paused on a tree and slammed his fist into the trunk. _God…why can't I ever be accepted. Why is this damn demon inside me? Why must I suffer through this?_

"Yo."

"Gyahhhh!" Naruto fell off the trunk, falling flat on his face. He sat up and rubbed his face, noticing a figure jump down from the trunk he had been standing on a moment ago.

"Jiraiya?" Jiraiya nodded and held out his hand, heaving Naruto's body back up into a standing position.

"Hey kid. Saw what you did to those ANBU back there. What's got your undies in a bunch?"

"No comment." Jiraiya looked curiously at his young blonde charge. When Naruto got his way, there was no way to pry information from him. He sighed as he gave up.

"Ah. I see. Well, regardless, we should get going"

"Hm."

"Well, aren't you a bright ray of sunshine"

Naruto didn't even look at Jiraiya, only humphed in response again.

The rest of the journey back to Konoha was done in complete silence.

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"N-n-n-naruto?" stammered Shikamaru. The rest of the ANBU were still frozen in shock. Even the ice cold Uchiha Sasuke had been frozen by the previous five minutes.

"N-n-n-naruto?"

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Naruto sat on a pedestal, slowly picking at his food. Ichiraku ramen. It hadn't changed a bit. But he had. Naruto slowly slurped the rest of the fluid down and put his chopsticks into his bowl and paid the old man. He also gave a generous tip and winked at Ayame as he walked out of the shop. She blushed and pretended not to notice, but Naruto had become quite the heartthrob over the last few years.

As Naruto walked out, he rejoined with his sensei, impatiently tapping his feet waiting for Naruto to finish his "necessary" task.

"Can we go now?" Jiraiya asked scathingly. He had been waiting out there for over an hour and had nothing better to do than…peek at the bathhouses across the street.

"Shut up old man, you get some good research done?" Naruto inquired, walking besides the old man down the street. His cloak and robes attracted a lot of attention from the villagers, but one look at Jiraiya the legendary sannin quieted many of the fears the villagers had about this mysterious nin.

"Definitely, but if Tsunade attacks me, I swear to God I'm using your body as a shield."

"Aaaaah, sensei, you wouldn't do something that cold hearted to me, now would you?"

Jiraiya grinned. "In a heartbeat."

Naruto chuckled as he looked up at the building they had arrived at. It sure wasn't as intimidating as it had been four years ago. He sighed as he remembered his years as a genin in Team 7, waiting for Kakashi, throwing himself mercilessly at Sakura, fighting with Sasuke…those were his treasured times of his life. Sad really, that memories like those would be so precious to him. But now…now he knew those memories wouldn't repeat themselves.

His friends accept him. They knew his secret, and that was a sure-fire way for them to hate him. His eyes fell as he remembered that last day in Konoha.

_Flashback_

_All of the ninja assembled there froze, trying to put together all the information they just received. After a shocked silence, they all turned their heads towards Naruto. He was frozen, staring at Sakura, as if he were dreaming._

"_But guys! He's not the Kyuubi! He's just the container, so he's still the same guy!" Sakura continued, oblivious to the things happening around her. Kiba kept opening his mouth as if to say something, but nothing would come out. Hinata kept looking at the ground, Lee was confused, Neji stared at Naruto, and Shino remained silent, his emotions unreadable. The rest of the shinobi had similar reactions, except for Naruto. His emotions changed, from shock, to anger, to realization, to fear._

_Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It can cause someone to run away, to freeze, or to even lose control of their body. It is more powerful than happiness, lust, confusion, or even anger. In Naruto's eyes, all anyone could see was fear._

_Suddenly, as if broken out of a trance, Naruto blinked, shook his head, and ran out of the gates. The rest of the ninjas there could only watch as he ran._

_End Flashback_

Sakura…she had…destroyed his hope for friends. But it wasn't her fault. He couldn't blame her for the demon in his stomach. Naruto looked down at his stomach, where the dreaded Kyuubi no Kitsune was trapped. He put his hand over his stomach and clenched his fist. Jiraiya paid no attention to his student's reaction.

"Naruto, Tsunade might be a liiiiittle shocked that you're not dead…sooo…let's be gentle."

As the pair walked up the stairs to the Hokage's office, they were stopped by the chunnin working as the secretaries, and were admitted up. They both stood outside of the door, until they glanced at each other, took a deep breath, and opened the doors.

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"HOLY CRAP, THAT WAS NARUTO, WE NEED TO GET GOING!" yelled Sakura, smashing each of the ANBU in the chest with her pinky, successfully waking them up out of their trances.

They all shook their heads to brush off the impact and immediately started running towards the village.

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An ANBU was standing nervously in front of the Hokage, her desk seeming like a protective barrier between them. But he knew that nothing could stand between her and his health if she got angry enough. He shifted as to give himself the quickest route to the door to escape her wrath if it was necessary.

"So…let me get this straight. First, an intruder is detected in the forest. Stop me if I make a mistake. Then, this unknown ninja is engaged by our patrols. Eventually, nine of the Eleven are fighting this ONE NINJA. And they are defeated. Do I have this straight?" Tsunade leaned forward menacingly. This was not a good day.

Coincidentally, the nervous ANBU before Tsunade was thinking the exact same thing. "H-hai Hokage-sama!"

"How can ONE NINJA beat nine out of the Eleven?"

Throughout Konoha, there was one group that was elite. One group that was sent on the hardest of missions. One group that the villagers had complete faith in. They were, after all, the strongest ninja in the village. All had been promoted to ANBU, although the squad of the Akamichi, the Yamanaka, and the Nara had taken a while. They were the defenders of the village. Most other villages quaked at the mere mention of these eleven shinobi. They were almost legends in their own respect. They made up the group simply called "The Eleven".

But here it was. Nine of the Eleven had been defeated. By a single man. Who was this person, and why were they invading Konoha? Had they already infiltrated the village? Had they already killed? Destroyed? Stolen? Tsunade gripped her forehead, a sign the ANBU knew was severe annoyance and frustration. He edged towards the door behind him.

"Alert the rest of the ANBU. I want Hatake Kakashi in temporary command of the ANBU while Hyuuga Neji is incapacitated. Send them out and find this invader. And kill him." The ANBU nodded and body flickered out of the office as fast as he could. Tsunade leaned back and sighed heavily.

"What am I going to do?! If the remaining members of the Eleven can't cut it, I might have to fight this guy myself! God. I wish Jiraiya was here. Ever since…that thing happened, he's been pretty aloof. I wonder where he is right now…probably peeping on women in the bathhouses…" she pondered, a slight grin coming over her face. When she got really stressed out, it really helped her to think about other people and what kind of fun things they were doing. It was soothing really. "Pervert, where are you?" she muttered to herself.

A slight sneeze alerted her to someone at her doorway. Her eyes widened as recognition set in. Tsunade had never been a very emotional person, she had learned to block out her emotions after seeing so many people close to her die. But seeing this new arrival filled her eyes with tears.

"J-J-Jiraiya?" she stuttered in broken speech.

"Yo! How's it goin Tsunade-chan?"

Tsunade smiled and wiped her tears from her eyes, stood up and moved forward to Jiraiya, her arms opened wide to welcome an embrace. Jiraiya just grinned and moved forward. He never saw it coming.

"IT'S HOKAGE-SAMA, GOT IT?!" she screeched, smashing her fist into Jiraiya's gut, leaving him to writhe on the floor in the fetal position, gasping something about "crazy old ladies" and "crazy damn strength".

Tsunade brushed herself off and regained her composure. That damn pervert got on her nerves EVERY time she saw him. It was at that moment that Tsunade noticed the figure behind the hunched form of Jiraiya. He was tall, almost as tall as Kakashi, but also seemed more muscular than the slim Copy nin. He stood leaned up against the doorframe, his arms crossed in a relaxed fashion.

"Who are you?" asked Tsunade sharply. It wasn't every day that strange ninja entered her office in such a manner. This guy…he seemed so mysterious…yet at the same time, familiar. Blonde hair, blue eyes…Tsunade noticed these things but the clues didn't quite register.

"Me? Sigh. Seems like all of Konoha wants to know. First all those ANBU, now the Hokage herself!"

"ANBU? You mean…the mysterious nin…is you?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Subconsciously, she tightened her right hand into a tight fist, ready to eliminate this man should he do anything dangerous.

"Yeah. Don't worry though, none of them are too hurt. Their pride more so than anything else probably." He chuckled lightly. That little fight he had with his old friends was fun. It wasn't every day he was really pushed like that. In retrospect, Naruto realized he shouldn't have been able to win. It seemed that the nine that attacked him were used to working as a cell. Their teamwork was impeccable. But Naruto was able to fight most of them in small pairs, or even one on one in certain cases. That way, his incredible stamina was able to keep him going while he wore down his opposition. Had all nine been there since the start, his defeat would be inevitable.

_This guy…he's so relaxed! Even after defeating Konoha ANBU he seems completely calm…this guy is dangerous. I should take him out now before he can hurt anyone else..._

Jiraiya regained his strength and slowly began to stand up. He noticed Tsunade's body language, the tightened fist, the way her feet began to slide into her favorite taijutsu stance, the way her eyes were focused on Naruto's head…she was about to crush him. And Naruto had no clue this was coming. He was just grinning his head off, his eyes closed in ignorant bliss. Tsunade began to cock her arm back until she was cut off.

"Tsunade! No! This guy's with me!"

"He's dangerous Jiraiya! How could you bring someone like this into Konoha?"

"Someone like this? He belongs here! Haven't you recognized him yet?"

"What?! Recognized? I've never seen this guy in my life!"

"What? How can you say…oh. Baka! Take off your mask! We're not in Wind Country anymore!" he screamed, smacking his young apprentice on the backside of his head.

"OW! Sensei…that really hurt…" Naruto whined, rubbing the back of his head. He reached up and pulled down his mask.

Before Naruto had left Konoha, he had adopted a mask on his face, mostly so he could look like Kakashi, one of his many role models. He just wanted to look cool, so he wore it everywhere, just like his old sensei. But eventually, he got rid of it. It was just too damn annoying. Such a hassle having people give him strange looks and feeling the tight material against his face. By the time he had reached Suna with Jiraiya to learn his sand techiniques, his mask was long gone from his outfit. But this was soon to change.

_Flashback_

"_Hey! Sensei! Where are we gmmmmph!" Naruto closed his mouth as a large vicious gust of wind blew a particularly large amount of sand into his mouth. The had been traveling through this sandstorm for days…_

"_Kid! You really should keep your mouth shut!"_

"_Dammit! I hate this damn saaaaaammmmmph!"_

_Spitting violently, Naruto angrily shut his mouth. Not talking?! This would NOT do._

_End Flashback_

And so, Naruto had donned a mask again, but this time a much more traditional mask from the area, meant to do exactly what he wanted, to keep sand out of one's mouth. It wasn't as flashy as his skintight black one, but he didn't want it for looks. It was functional.

Tsunade looked blankly at the young blonde in front of her. What was Jiraiya talking about? She didn't remember this blonde! He did seem vaguely familiar for some reason though… Tsunade rubbed her temples and sighed.

"I still don't remember Jiraiya…"

"What!? Kid, have you really changed that much?"

"Guess so sensei…maybe its those birthmarks on my cheeks…" Naruto grinned, pointing to his face. Naruto's distinctive whisker marks had slowly faded over the four years of his training. They were still there, but you had to be looking for them to notice since they were nothing more than slightly darker streaks on his cheeks.

"Ah. That could be it. Here, see if this refreshes your memory Tsunade!" Jiraiya whipped out a marker.

"Uh…sensei?" asked Naruto nervously. "Wh-what are you planning on doing??"

Jiraiya giggled in sadistic glee as he pinned Naruto to a wall and started scribbling furiously on his face. Naruto struggled but Jiraiya wasn't one of the legendary sannin for nothing. It wasn't that Jiraiya was stronger than Naruto. That was definitely not the case. Ever since Naruto's sixteenth birthday when he beat the perverted man in an arm wrestle, Jiraiya had avoided such competitions of strength. No, Jiraiya had experience. He knew exactly how to hold Naruto in a way that he had no leverage. And so, after a humiliating thirty seconds, Jiraiya dropped him to the floor and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

"Heh, perfect!" He held his thumb up, grinning like a madman. Jiraiya had drawn in Naruto's old whisker marks, but he couldn't stop there. Nope. After years of Naruto annoying him to death, he needed to get revenge as many times as he could. Naruto now not only donned newly drawn whiskers, three times the size of his old ones, but now he had an eye patch, a unibrow, a curly moustache, a goatee, a black eye, and horns drawn on his face.

"ERO-SENNIN…." He started threateningly.

Tsunade looked on in confusion. The whisker marks…the nickname "ero-sennin"…the blonde hair…he was about the right age…blue eyes, short temper…Could it be?

"Naruto?" she squeaked in a small voice.

Both of the quarrelling ninja stopped their antics and looked up at the blank face of the Godaime Hokage. Naruto stood up and rubbed the back of his head, grinning.

"Good to see you again Tsunade-obaachan!"

Thump!

Naruto opened his eyes to see that the person in front of him had disappeared. He whipped his head left, right, up…then down. There, sprawled on the floor of the Hokage's office was an unconscious Tsunade.

"Heh…HEY, IS THAT PERMANENT MARKER?! OHHH, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!"

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Nine ANBU appeared in a flurry of leaves in front of the Hokage's office. They had already checked the Hokage monument and Ichiraku's. But to no avail. Neither of Naruto's favorite places held the familiar blonde. So they decided to check in with Tsunade. Maybe she had heard something, or maybe she could search for him with her crystal ball. In any case, they needed to report in on the incident earlier that day.

"Man! Where is that guy? We checked all his favorite spots…" Chouji trailed off.

"Hm…maybe Naruto has changed more than we thought. Perhaps he is more mature and calm now" Neji stated calmly.

"That's probably it! He probably grew out of ramen and pranks and all his other childish crap!" Sakura smiled. It truly warmed her heart to think of this new, older Naruto.

As the nine ANBU walked up the stairs to the Hokage's office, they heard commotion upstairs. Looking at each other, they all began to run up the stairs, preparing to meet anything.

Anything, that is, but what they really did meet. Running around the office, knocking papers and other things off of desks and books off of shelves, a young man chased an old, grey haired man, giggling his head off. This may not have been very surprising to battle trained ANBU, but there was more. The Godaime Hokage was sprawled on the floor, evidently unconscious, and the blonde man had black scribble all over his face. He was holding a black marker trying to capture the old man and do the same to him. But the old man just kept giggling his head off and running faster than an old geezer should be able to.

The nine ANBU stood there with their jaws hanging open, something that could not be seen, due to the white masks covering their faces. The two ninja seemed oblivious to the things around them, intent only on their wild antics.

Sakura ran forward, worry on her face. "Tsunade-sama!" She rushed to her sensei's side, hands already glowing with healing chakra. She placed her hands on Tsunade's forehead, exhibiting an ease that comes only from experience. Tsunade's eyes fluttered, and opened with a start.

"Sakura! Wh-what happened…all I remember is…" Her eyes flew wide open as she relived the shock of finding that Naruto was still alive.

Her hands flew up to Sakura, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her face near her own. "Sakura! Where is Naruto?! He's alive!"

"Um…he's…around…" she trailed off as a vase fell to the ground, shattering. At that moment, Jiraiya ran by, still giggling like a madman.

Tsunade's fists began to clench and her brow wrinkled. Her face became slightly pink. "JI-RAI-YA!" she screamed, as she let loose her rage onto the next thing that came running by. Which was Naruto, chasing after the old hermit.

He flew out the window, a thin trail of smoke showing his path. All of the ANBU visibly winced, and Sakura stood up suddenly.

"Oh my god! Naruto!" She ran out of the room, leaving her sensei to deal with the old pervert. All of the other ANBU gave one look at the twitching Hokage and decided they would rather skinny dip in piranha infested waters than stay where they were. So they followed Sakura out of the tower.

Sakura found Naruto easily enough. His abrupt landing had left a crater in a poor man's wagon, and they were having a heated argument, attracting quite a crowd, not only to see the strange ninja that fell from the heavens, but also to watch the confrontation. Seeing nine ANBU approaching, the crowd dispersed, leaving the two to argue in relative peace.

They approached cautiously, as if trying not to startle Naruto. The formed a circle around him, waiting for him to notice their presence. After five more minutes of arguing, Naruto had promised to pay the man back. As soon as he got some money. He was broke, sadly, and had to rely on the old pervert for food, water, and shelter. The man walked away, dragging away his broken cart, leaving Naruto alone. He looked up and noticed that he was surrounded. Naruto immediately slid into a defensive pose, his eyes glancing from one ANBU to the next, watching to see which would be the first to attack. But the attack never came.

"Naruto!" squealed a pink haired kunoichi, throwing herself on Naruto, wrapping her arms around his neck. Confused, Naruto froze. He felt what seemed to be tears dripping out of her mask onto his shoulder. He awkwardly allowed his hands to wrap around her, still shocked at her actions. Never before had anyone acted like this around him. Never before had anyone shown an emotion other than hate or indifference toward him. And now? The girl he knew for sure hated him was crying on his shoulder. Was this some kind of trick? She knew about the Kyuubi, she had told everyone about it. There was no way anyone could ever accept him now, right? But here was something contradictory. Here Sakura was, crying in joy that he was back.

He looked up in amazement at the other ANBU. They had all taken off their masks and were looking at him. Neji, wearing a small smile, something pretty big, since he didn't allow his emotions to seep through very often. Kiba, grinning from ear to ear, Akamaru by his side, wagging his tail violently. Hinata, blushing, as usual, he would have to find out why she did that, and giving him a look that told him she was happy to have him back. The rest had similar reactions, each looking at him in a way that showed him their acknowledgment, their approval.

Naruto's eyes, wide as saucers as he looked around at his friends, slowly closed, as a single tear leaked out. He wiped it away quickly. He was strong. He was a man. Then why was he getting so emotional? Finally, after eighteen years, Naruto was home with his family.

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Hey hey! So, review! Btw, does anyone think that this fic should be M? I kinda use a lot of swearing…habit I guess.


	13. Chapter 12: Return to Konoha Part 3

Hey hey, I've been procrastinating again. Whoda thunk it?

Ne wayz, thanks for your reviews, you have no idea how much appreciation I feel.

Hm. I'm too lazy to come up with a new story title for this one. I'll just make it Return to Konoha, Part 3…

Chapter 12

Naruto stood, silent and still, as Sakura sobbed into his shoulder. Comprehension had dawned on him after he saw the faces of his friends. Of his family.

"Shhh…It's ok Sakura," he whispered in her ear, gently caressing her head. Sakura slowly began to calm, her sobs becoming less violent. Eventually, she looked up into Naruto's face, her eyes red and still moist.

"Naruto…can you forgive me? I…I understand if you won't…"

"Sakura…How could I not forgive you?" Naruto gave her one of his genuine smiles. At these words, Sakura paused, her eyes shimmering. After several moments, she burst into tears again.

Naruto looked down at the mop of pink hair that had once again buried itself into his shoulder. He looked up at his old friends with confusion, and perhaps a little bit of desperation. He had no idea what to do. He had never been very good with girls…So he brought up the first thing he could think of. Food.

"So…anyone wanna get some ramen with me?"

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Jiraiya stood in front of the Hokage's desk, his arms crossed and head bowed, apparently deep in thought.

Tsunade sat before him, apparently annoyed. He had been standing like that for the last five minutes. "Hey! Jiraiya! I asked you how strong he is now!"

Jiraiya looked up slightly, one eye still closed in concentration. "Hold on Tsunade…I'm still thinking…"

"How can you still be thinking? It's a simple question! How. Strong. Is. Naruto!"

"Depends on what you mean by strong."

"What kind of statement is that?!" screamed a red faced Tsunade, her temper flaring. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"Well, his genjutsu sucks. A genin has better skills at it than him. Course, at least he can detect it now…I basically put him under genjutsu as often as possible, at random times during our training, and he could usually detect it…"

"Well, that's pretty much always been the case with Naruto. Doesn't have the patience, like us more experienced ninja, hm Jiraiya?"

"Hah! Yeah right! Like you have more patience than Naruto! That's a riot!"

Tsunade's vein began pulsating, as she held her fist down at her sides, clenched and ready to destroy.

Jiraiya continued, oblivious of the danger in front of him. "Sooo, continuing on…Naruto's ninjutsu has improved drastically. After identifying his two elemental affinities, Naruto learned a lot more jutsu. His control is still shaky, but I would say it's probably around chunnin level. Probably his most useful improvement in his ninjutsu would be his sand."

"Sand? Ah. Wind and earth. Got it. Continue please." Tsunade calmed down and rested her chin on her folded hands, listening to Jiraiya's analysis with interest.

"Yeah. He can control it, but it's nothing like Gaara's stuff. Naruto has to mentally will his sand to move, not the automatic defense stuff. Regardless, it's still pretty effective."

"But I'm pretty sure what's improved the most is his taijutsu. He's pretty damn strong."

"…"

"…"

"That was the worst analysis of taijutsu skills I've ever heard."

"Ah, fine. The kid beat me, ok?! God…"

Tsunade's eyes widened a little. Jiraiya's strongest point wasn't taijutsu, granted, but to defeat one of the sannin in hand to hand combat…Not many could boast that. Tsunade whipped her attention back to the white haired pervert before her. He was in the fetal position, apparently very ashamed of his defeat by his student.

"What about those swords he had on his back?"

"Um…" Jiraiya started to sweat. It probably wouldn't be wise to bring up the demons in them. One demon was enough to tarnish Naruto's reputation. Three would cause a civil war. "He sucks at kenjutsu too. He just swings 'em like baseball bats. No control at all."

"Hm…I see."

"So are we done here? I have some very important…research…to conduct!"

"One more thing Jiraiya."

"Yeah?"

"I need your opinion, taking everything in your evaluation, is Naruto ready for chunnin rank?"

Jiraiya froze. Right before he started rolling on the ground laughing. "AHAHA! CHUNNIN! THAT'S RICH! AHAHAHAHA!"

Tsunade could feel her vein throb again, ready to knock some sense into the perverted old hermit. "I don't see what's so funny."

"Of course he's ready for chunnin! I thought you were gonna ask me something hard! Like, is Naruto ready for ANBU captain, or ready for sannin! Chunnin! Hah!"

"So…yes, he's ready for chunnin, right?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Right."

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Naruto strolled down the street, surrounded by his friends. He was currently telling them the story of defeating Buotoko. At first, they didn't believe it. Not that he defeated this shinobi, just that a man's name would be the equivalent of "ugly".

As they continued on their way down the street, Naruto's eyes caught something in the window of a store. His feet continued to walk, but his head stayed in the same place, stretching back until he stopped. His friends continued to walk, laughing and chatting amiably, until they noticed something was amiss. Looking around for what was missing, they noticed the departure of their blonde headed buddy.

They spotted him a block behind them, engrossed with something inside the shop. As they made their way back towards him, they saw Naruto look through the window, then at his body, then at the people in the street, slightly shaking his head from side to side. As they approached him, Sakura cried out.

"Naruto-kun! What's wrong?!"

"Huh? What? Oh…uh, can I borrow some money? I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

"What? What for?"

"Just…I need some money, ok?"

Neji reached into his pocket to retrieve a pouch of bills and coins. "Here." He monotonously replied, handing a wad of bills to Naruto.

"Thanks! I'll be right back!" Naruto flashed them a grin as he ran into the store, leaving his confused friends outside.

5 minutes later

"Where is that baka! I'm goin in there! Stop it Ino! Let me go! I'm gonna beat some sense into that blonde idiot!" Sakura was pulling with all her might to enter the store, but Ino kept her firm grip on her friend's arm, preventing any violence.

"Hey guys!"

They all froze at the sound of Naruto's voice and turned around. Sakura stopped tugging, and Ino dropped her arm. Everyone just looked at the return of Konoha's number one surprising ninja.

Naruto came out of the store a new man. Or that was what he felt like. He had replaced his old clothes. Gone were the ratty, tan colored robes that protected him from the sun and sand in Suna. Naruto gave them a thumbs up at the group inspected the new look.

When Naruto saw the clothes in the window, he knew he HAD to have them. Simple, yet attractive. He wore a skintight black, short-sleeve shirt that hugged his muscles and showed off his wide shoulders. His arms were toned, and his stomach was defined, causing every girl present to drool in their minds. Complementing his tight shirt, he wore a pair of baggy cargo pants. They were covered in pockets, perfect for holding scrolls and weapons. Again, his two swords were strapped to his back in an "X", both sheathed, but their hilts shone in the sun.

"Whaddya think?" Naruto asked, turning around to allow them to see his new outfit. As he turned, he gave the girls a perfect view of his butt, making them feel like the weather had just gotten a little warmer.

"I-I-It's great Naruto-kun" stammered Sakura, a slight pink blush on her face.

Naruto stepped forward, throwing his arm around her neck. "Aw, thanks Sakura-chan!" Feeling his muscles, no longer covered or restrained by his baggy robes, pushed up against her body made Sakura feel a little faint, as all of the blood in her head rushed to her cheeks.

_Holy crap! This guy has the body of a greek god!_ Thought all of the girls present.

The guys were just a little jealous. And by a little, I mean a lot.

"Ok! Let's go! Ichiraku's, here we coooome!" Naruto held out the other arm, not draped around Sakura's neck, and pointed forward, to the general area of their destination. He marched forward, pulling Sakura along, still too stunned at her teammate's body to do any activity.

As the men, and Sakura, walked forward, the girls remained, looking at the spot Naruto had previously stood. Shaking their heads, Ino and Hinata threw off their awe and captivation, and perhaps a little lust, and ran to catch up.

"Hey…wait up guys!"

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As the group of twelve sat, eating, they related stories, told jokes, and, of course, at ramen. Naruto had a whopping seventeen bowls, while the rest mainly held themselves to one or two.

But not everyone was having a good time. Sasuke, sitting in the corner of the booth, was brooding. As usual. _How did he stop the Raikiri?? HOW????????_ He wailed in his mind.

"Yo. Naruto." Sasuke drawled, his voice cold as ice.

Naruto looked cheerfully at his old teammate. "Yeah Sasuke?"

"Those are some cool looking swords…can I see them?"

Naruto paused. Everyone turned to look at Naruto, who was currently frozen in mid-slurp. Nothing made Naruto stop eating ramen. Nothing.

"S-sure Sasuke…" Naruto nervously unsheathed his two blades, handing them off to Chouji, who was sitting to his right. Chouji gawked at the two swords, before handing them off, continuing down the row until Sasuke got them. Naruto continued eating, laughing at a story that Chouji had told, involving Shikimaru, a treadmill, and duct tape.

Sasuke focused his attention away from the blonde, and down to the two swords in his hands. One was light. Its blade was silver, and was long and thin. In the middle of the double-bladed sword, was a long slit, removing the center of the sword blade. This gave the sword its incredible weightlessness. Its hilt was long and silver, with streaks of gold in it. And the hand guard was even more beautiful than the rest. Beautiful, silver wings, with gold tipped feathers, erupted from the hilt at the base of the blade, spreading out and shining in the afternoon sun. Sasuke, inspecting it, decided that this was not the blade that Naruto had used to block the Raikiri.

Moving his attention to the next sword, he recognized it as the sword that had humiliated him. It was not as pretty as the previous sword. It was crude, the handle looking very normal. But the blade was unique. Also a double-blade sword, it was very wide, almost six inches wide. Its length was as long as the silver one, about four feet. The metal that made up the blade was black, with red characters engraved on it haphazardly. The black metal was met by a black hilt, its hand guards very thick and strong.

Sasuke remembered that right before he struck out with his Raikiri, he saw blue chakra being pulled from Naruto's body into the sword. His Sharingan had recorded this moment, and Sasuke sat, reliving it and shaking in rage. How could his ultimate technique be defeated? There was no way that he could defeat his brother with his technique that was defeated by a dobe.

_He must have channeled chakra into the sword to fortify it…it still should have broken though. It also didn't seem as if Naruto was sending his chakra into the sword…It wasn't purposeful. It was more like…more like the sword sucked the chakra out of him…_

Sasuke continued brooding, oblivious to the fact that Naruto had finished his marathon of eating, laughing along with everyone about his appetite. He focused on the blade, calling upon his Sharingan. Sasuke began to channel his chakra into the blade. Maybe he could activate this ability, just as Naruto had. Suddenly, everything went black.

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"Like a black hole Naruto…" Shikamaru shook his head in amazement. "You are so troublesome…"

"Haha! Yeah, well, I haven't had Ichiraku's since noon!"

Everyone paused. "You had some for lunch too?" gaped Kiba, shocked.

"Yeah…hey, where's Hirameki and Fumetsu…Oh shit." Naruto's eyes widened, seeing Sasuke slump to the ground.

"Shit! This guy is gonna be the death of me, I swear!" Naruto dashed to Sasuke's side, grabbed the hilt of Fumetsu, and channeled chakra into it.

"I'll be right back guys" Naruto grinned, giving them the thumbs up, right before he too collapsed onto the floor beside Sasuke, gripping the sword with all his might.

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Sasuke woke up on the ground. He rubbed his head, as he had been lying on some particularly hard rock. He looked around to see that the landscape had changed. _Is this some kind of genjutsu?_ He wondered, looking around to map out his location. The entire landscape was rocky, nowhere was there any sign of vegetation. It was all dark, and in the horizon, Sasuke could see what he assumed to be several volcanoes.

Shrugging, Sasuke began to walk. Aimlessly, he began to explore this new land he had been put into.

Suddenly, he couldn't move. Just like that. He hadn't felt a presence, hadn't been able to react.

"Don't say anything," a familiar voice whispered.

"Naruto?" gasped Sasuke. Naruto! He had captured him so easily!

"Shhhh. I don't know where that bastard Fumetsu is, but we need to talk before we do find him. Or he finds us…"

"Fumetsu? Isn't that your sword?"

"Um…you could say that. Ok, listen closely, I'm not going to say it again. Your presence has screwed us over. Every time a new person activates one of my swords, they are tested."

"Tested? What kind of test?"

"Depends. Depends on how they're feeling at the time…" Naruto trailed off.

"Wait. It depends one how WHO'S feeling?"

"Him." Naruto gulped, whipping around, pulling Sasuke with him, still immobilized.

Sasuke almost screamed. Almost. Naruto let him go, and Sasuke rubbed his arms, trying to get the feeling back into them.

"What is that…?" cried the raven-haired boy, pointing at the new arrival.

"That? That's…Fumetsu." Before the two shinobi was a giant scorpion, it's plated carapace black as night, outlined in red.

"Youuuuuuu!…Narutoooooo…you've come back to this place…with a friend too! I will enjoy sucking the marrow out of your bones children!" And with that, the scorpion flew forward, its eight legs moving like black blurs. It whipped its tail down, and Sasuke dodged right, only to be met by a pair of deadly looking claws. He cringed, ready to feel pain, but was surprised as he only felt air rushing through his hair. He opened his eyes to find himself in the arms of Naruto.

"Let me go dobe!"

"What, no thank you?"

"I would have been fine."

"Right. Your closed eyes would have saved you, right?"

"Shut up."

"Silence! Both of you! Your incessant rambling annoys me!"

"What's the test Fumetsu?" Naruto asked, exasperated.

"Hmph. Ruining my fun again brat. Fine. The test will be like last time…survive for ten minutes."

"Okok, lets get this baby goin'."

Naruto jumped back about ten feet, putting some distance between him and the large arachnid. Sasuke followed his example and landed beside him.

"What's going on Naruto?"

"Ok, listen up. Fumetsu? He's a demon. We have to survive for ten minutes, or…well, we die. Kinda redundant, but yeah."

"A demon?!?!"

"Yeah, he's been sealed in my sword, and when you tried to activate it…well, you activated this whole ordeal. Good job, by the way."

"Ten minutes…forget that. I'll just take him out now…"

"What? No, stop! Don't!"

But it was too late. Sasuke grabbed his arm as lightning and chirping filled the air. He dashed forward, showing impressive speed, streaking towards his target. Fumetsu only laughed, pulling his tail back, ready to strike. As Sasuke neared, Fumetsu screamed:

"Fatal Strike!" His tail flew down, crushing the rock that Sasuke had been standing on milliseconds ago. But that was milliseconds ago, and Sasuke was upon him. Thrusting his hand forward, he yelled, "RAIKIRI!" The lightning erupted on the scorpion's black plated body, but soon died out. Sasuke blinked, and was batted away by a strong swipe of Fumetsu's claw.

"Shit…why didn't I even scratch him?" moaned Sasuke, as he struggled to his feet. His head was still spinning from that hit.

"I told you to stop! But do you do what I say? Noooo, you arrogant prick. Fumetsu gives my sword its power! His armor is impossible to penetrate! And his attacks can't be blocked! Just keep dodging, that's our only hope of survival!"

"What? What a cowardly strategy," sneered Sasuke.

"Better a coward than being dead dumbass."

Sasuke reluctantly saw the reason in this. He acknowledged this with a slight snort.

"Fine, we'll do it your way."

"Here he comes…" Naruto spread his legs apart slightly, ready to move at a moment's notice. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and prepared himself, physically and mentally, to combat this demon.

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"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura ran towards her two motionless friends, kneeling down beside them, checking their pulses.

"Their alive at least…what's going on?!"

The rest of the group crowded around the two shinobi, wondering what on earth could have happened to the two boys in Ichiraku Ramen.

"They're unconscious…Ino, do you think you could see what's going on in Naruto's mind?"

"Um…" Ino recalled the last time she had attempted to invade the blonde's mind. "How bout I do Sasuke instead?"

"Ok, just go!"

"I'm going, I'm going…" muttered Ino, as she too kneeled down beside Sasuke. She placed her fingertips gently on his temples, closing her eyes in concentration.

"Here we go…"

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Ino opened her eyes. She was in Sasuke's mind, seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. But she was limited to just that, what he could see and feel. She saw nothing but dirt for a while, until she…or Sasuke, the technique caused a headache if you thought about it for too long, looked up. Naruto ran by, smoothly grabbing her arm…or Sasuke's…it really did get confusing.

"Get up! Get up! Aaaaaah!" Naruto started screaming, partially smiling. He was obviously enjoying this thrill, this excitement. Ino felt Naruto's hand release her arm, as her legs began churning, glancing over her shoulder. At that moment, Ino saw something that chilled her to the bone.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The massive scorpion lashed out again and again with its tail, smashing through boulders, whipping towards them, coming within a hair's breadth at some times, his claws just as dangerous, embedding themselves into the hard rock floor. The entire landscape was filled with similar craters. The scorpion was huge. Its claws were the size of full grown men, its tail like a twenty foot long whip.

She turned around to face it, looking in the corner of her eye to see Naruto standing beside her, breathing a little harder than usual.

"That all you got bastard?!" yelled Naruto, obviously just trying to rile the scorpion up.

"Hm. It's been two minutes kid. Time to take it up a notch." The scorpion was covered in a strange, dark red aura, sending out killer intent and chakra. The chakra whipping around the scorpion began whipping around dust, rocks, and other debris, causing her to shield her eyes and face from the storm that she had just been trapped in. When it ended, she looked up, only to find that the scorpion had grown a second tail.

"Hahaha….that feels better. Eight more minutes kids…for the last two minutes, you'll have to take me on, with all five of my tails. Here I come!"

The scorpion propelled itself forward with surprising speed, lashing out with one of its tails in a vertical swipe. Ino felt her body dodge to the left, only to see the second tail come from her side in her peripheral vision. It connected heavily in her side, causing her to scream in pain (in her head, of course), as the tail entered his side.

"Fatal Cross!"

"Gyaaah!" Ino heard Sasuke scream out. She clutched her side, blood running freely. She looked up, seeing the tails coming down. But they never connected.

She winced as another body came colliding into hers…Sasuke's…causing the two forms to roll out of the way just in time.

"Dammit Sasuke! You've got poison in your system! It's not gonna do anything in your mindscape, but your injuries here are real! Your body back in the real world is gonna die unless you get some attention…" Naruto was briefing Sasuke as he carried him away from the crazed scorpion. Ino, hearing these words, screamed in her mind, "KAI!"

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"Oh my God! He's bleeding! What the hell! It looks like he just got run through by a freakin sword!" yelled Kiba, hyperventilating. He was never real good in situations like this.

"Shit!" Sakura screamed, rolling Sasuke on his side and ripping his shirt off. Sure enough, there was a round, circular hole in his side, gushing blood. Her hands began to glow the familiar green healing chakra that she had become so accustomed to.

"He's gonna be fine guys…" sighed Sakura, finding that no internal organs or critical areas had been affected.

"KAI!" screamed the Ino, sitting jolt upright, eyes wide in fear and anxiousness. "Sakura! Sasuke…"

Sakura cut her off, smiling. "Don't worry Ino, I patched him up, he's fine!"

Ino's face did not change, still looking on in horror. "No! He…it…they…Oh my god…ohmygodohmygodohmygod…" Ino was clutching her head, muttering the words over and over.

Sakura rushed to her blonde friend's side, grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing Ino to make eye contact. "Ino! What's wrong? What's happening to them?"

"They're…they're fighting this…this scorpion! It was huge! Like…like one of the boss summons! It…it got Sasuke with one of it's tails…Naruto told him…he told me…him…that…he's poisoned! If he doesn't get the anti-venom soon, he's going to die!" sobbed Ino, rocking herself back and forth. She still couldn't get over the shock and horror of not only seeing a scorpion that large, but then being stabbed by it. When she was in Sasuke's mind, everything was real to her. Sights, sounds, tastes…pain.

"Shhh, you're ok Ino," Sakura whispered, embracing her friend, trying to comfort her.

"Sigh…take care of Sasuke, I'll take care of Ino," said a voice above the two kunoichi.

Sakura looked up, seeing Ino's teammate, Shikamaru, looking slightly disgruntled, but at the same time, concern showed in his eyes. Sakura nodded, sliding back over to Sasuke, her hands again glowing green. Shikamaru took Sakura's seat, placing his arm around his childhood friend, allowing Ino to throw herself into his arms and cry into his shoulder. He had seen what mental trauma could do. It had happened on multiple occasions, the worst being when Ino had been in someone's mind when they died. She still hadn't recovered completely from that.

Sakura, meanwhile, was concentrating her chakra, trying to identify the poison in Sasuke's blood. Her brow was scrunched up in concentration, a few beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

_Don't give up Sasuke-kun!_

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"Ungh!" grunted Sasuke, as he was thrown back by a particularly nasty swipe of Fumetsu's claw, feeling one of his ribs break. Knowing that his rib had probably broken in real life, he decided that he had to avoid such attacks.

"TWO MINUTES KIDS! Too bad my fun will end…either way, with your death's or when the time runs out…But it'll be way more fun if you die!" Fumetsu grew yet another tail, showing off his five tails in all their glory.

"Tail barrage!" Sasuke watched in horror as Naruto was assaulted by a veritable whirlwind of strikes, but Naruto was able to weave and dodge every attack. After the attack ended, Naruto jumped back to join his raven-headed friend.

"Ok…here's…the plan…" gasped Naruto. The scorpion had been focusing on him mostly, as Naruto had often gone out of his way to annoy the demon as much as possible over the last year that he had the sword. "I'm going to distract him with jutsu for this last two minutes. You just keep him occupied with jutsu, or taijutsu, genjutsu, I really don't care."

"Pretty sloppy plan dobe."

Naruto turned to grin at his friend. "Yeah…no kidding…" At once, he began making seals.

"Doto…" Naruto stopped his jutsu suddenly. He looked up from his squatting position to see Sasuke, looking down intently on him, his Sharingan eye blazing, copying his technique.

"Let's not Sasuke!" Naruto cheerfully said, winking at him. As Naruto winked, Sasuke could feel his Sharingan recede, removing his powers of copying jutsus and techniques.

"What the hell…?" Sasuke muttered. He wanted to get some new techniques out of Naruto, and now was the perfect opportunity. He summoned chakra to his eyes, trying to reactivate his Sharingan which had suddenly decided to recede, but to no avail.

"Doton: Swamp of the Underworld!" Naruto cried from beside him, creating a huge swamp beneath Fumetsu, sinking his feet into it, immobilizing him.

"You are so annoying kid! But I want your blood!" Fumetsu screamed, ripping his legs forcibly from the murky swamp, barely escaping the earth jutsu that Naruto had begun to love.

"Damn! Ok, time to stall! Kage bunshin no jutsu! Henge!" About a thousand clones poofed into existence, with half of them having the likeness of Sasuke. Sasuke looked around in confusion, seeing perfect copies of him littering the field.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU DID LAST TIME KID! YOU ARE THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON THE PLANET! I WANT TO KIIIIIILL YOUUUUUU!" bellowed the demon, a hint of frustration in his voice.

The clones all separated, running around in circles, and Sasuke decided to follow the example. Frustrated, Fumetsu started lashing out blindly, trying to destroy as many clones as possible. But to no avail. Most of Naruto's shadow clones were quick enough to dodge the tail swipes, but a few were killed in small poofs of smoke.

Finally, after about two-hundred of Naruto's clones had been destroyed, the Fumetsu stopped lashing out.

"Ten minutes…the deal is done," came the resigned voice, as Sasuke's vision became blurry.

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Sasuke opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back on the road. He looked down slightly and saw Sakura working tirelessly to heal his wounds, particularly the large hole in his side and the broken rib he had sustained.

"Hey." Sasuke whispered, his voice raspy and unsure. The green glow of Sakura's hands reflected slightly on her face, the light dancing and caused her features to soften, bringing out her green eyes. Never before had she looked more beautiful to him.

"Sasuke?" Sakura looked down at his face, noticing he had woken up. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried, throwing herself down, putting her arms around his neck. He sat up, with her still attached to his neck. For once, he didn't seem to mind.

Across from him, Naruto was standing, sliding Fumetsu back into its sheath on his back. The group that was around Naruto noticed that Sasuke was awake too and rushed over to check on him as well. Naruto smiled at Sasuke and gave him a thumbs up.

Naruto walked over to Sasuke along with the group, peering through the opening between Shikamaru's head and Chouji's head.

"Hey, guys…" started Naruto, causing them all to turn their heads. "Where's Shino and Ten-ten?"

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Fumetsu means something like, "idestructable" in Japanese. I don't really remember what it was when I put it in the fic, and I'm way too lazy to check it.

Read and Review! Btw, if you're looking for good fics to read, all the fics on my favorites list on my profile are the best of the best! I encourage you to check em out!

Oh, and last thing. I've been reading a lot of fanfiction lately, and I've really started to like NaruIno, NaruTemari, hell, NaruTenTen, I don't care. Since I've got a lot more readers than I did in the beginning of this fic, I would like some input from you guys. What do you think?

Ok, THIS is the last thing. When the rookie nine were without Naruto, they had Lee and Neji, and TenTen, who was not present, and were aptly named "The Eleven". Now, I was going to have them, plus Naruto, called "The Twelve", but that might be a little lame, so I then thought about hte name "The Elite". But THEN, I thought, hey, I've got all these great readers, let's let THEM suggest something! So make suggestions! I'll pick the one I like for the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 13: Chunnin Exam!

I'm back, hopefully this update will happen faster than my last few…

Man, I wrote that when I started writing the chapter, four weeks ago. Guess I was wrong…

Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 13

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Naruto's eye twitched at the annoying noise as he glared at the small devise that allowed medicine to slowly drip into the tube connected to the still form on the white hospital bed. Naruto looked down solemnly at the two unmoving figures. Tenten and Shino. Sure, they hadn't been his best friends in the whole world, but he still cared for them. And he definitely would never wish this on them.

He reached down and picked up a hospital chart hanging on the end of Shino's bed.

_Patient: Aburame Shino_

_Bloodlines/Medical Conditions: Kikai bugs live in patient's body, feeding off of chakra stores, making most medical jutsu ineffective._

_Condition: Stable; however, in a comatose state, unknown whether patient will ever revive._

Naruto stopped reading. He looked up again at his two friends, his eyes showing the emotion that he was trying to bottle up inside.

"What happened?" he asked in a very small voice.

The remainder of the "Eleven", as Naruto had discovered was the name of their group, was standing in the hospital room beside him, many of them looking down, up, anywhere just not at their two comatose friends. They couldn't bear to see them like this. Lee just slapped himself and downed the entire contents of his flask in one gulp.

Neji stepped forward, looking Naruto in the eyes. Naruto noticed an unbearable amount of sorrow hidden in Neji's mask of indifference. "They…we were attacked. I was leading a group of us on a mission. Me, Tenten, Lee, and Shino were told to locate and retrieve a missing-nin, dead or alive. Shino was with our team to locate him, as he had placed a tracking bug on him in a previous mission. We discovered this nin, and engaged him. Soon after, we discovered that the missing-nin had a unique bloodline, one that we were not prepared for. It was my fault…I…I…I should have foreseen the complications. Instead, we rushed in blindly. If it were not for my Byakugan, I too would be in this condition…Lee was almost hit, but Tenten was able to push him out of the way at the last moment, at the cost of sacrificing herself in the process. He is taking it rather hard…and so am I. The doctors…they say it's possible for them to wake up…but with my Byakugan, I can see through their deception…It's not good Naruto."

Naruto looked away from Neji's eyes, gazing intently upon the forms of the injured, their chests slowly moving up and down. At this moment, the Godaime Hokage decided to explode into the room.

The door flew open, slamming into the wall, and Tsunade strode forward quickly. Stopping suddenly, she looked to her right, noticing the silent, solemn crowd that had gathered. Taking the hint, she too decided to tread lightly, not to disturb those paying their respects.

"Tsunade-obaachan…" mumbled Naruto. "This…this was done by genjutsu?"

"Hai, Naruto. The subject had a powerful bloodline limit that we were not aware of. I assure you, we are doing everything possible to help your friends."

"That…that might not be necessary, Tsunade-obaachan…"

"What are you talking about Naruto?! Surely you aren't talking about giving up on them?!"

Hearing these words, Lee and Neji both took an aggressive stride forward, intentionally placing themselves between Naruto and their two fallen comrades.

"No no! It's nothing like that!" exclaimed Naruto, waving them off frantically. Lee had looked pretty angry, and drunk. Not a good combo. "Here, maybe I should just show you…"

Naruto walked over to the two beds, positioning himself between them. He reached out his arms and touched each shinobi lightly on the forehead with his fingertips. He closed his eyes, seeming to be meditating for several moments, then opened them, grinning at the crowd in the room.

"Here goes nothing." And with that, a flare of chakra pulsed out from Naruto, flowing through his arms and fingers, colliding with the foreheads of the two still forms. After that, Naruto removed his fingers and stepped back slightly.

"What did you do Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata, watching intently with her Byakugan. She could see Naruto's chakra flowing through their heads, through their torsos, branching out to their arms and legs.

"Give it a moment…"

Within a minute, both Tenten and Shino lurched up into a sitting position, throwing their hands up in a defensive stance. They glanced around the room and relaxed a bit.

Tsunade, shocked by their recovery, spoke up. "Relax, you're in the hospital. You've just woken up from comas."

Tenten rubbed the back of her head, wincing. "How long?"

"About six weeks now…"

Tenten gaped, and Shino's eyebrows rose significantly.

"Why…why so long Hokage-sama?" asked Tenten, slightly alarmed.

"To be honest…we had no cure. We could not wake you and I was afraid you were brain dead. But…it seems someone has some explaining to do." Tsunade finished, crossing her arms and looking expectantly at Naruto. The rest of the room followed suite, watching intently.

Naruto sighed. "Fine, fine. I wasn't planning on telling anyone this; it ruins my element of surprise. Basically, I have a bloodline limit."

Sasuke sneered. "Aren't you the one who used to spout all that crap about how people with bloodline limits and from clans shouldn't be looked upon higher than others? Now look at you. You've got a blood limit yourself. Hypocrite."

Naruto cringed. "Yeah, your right. Your still an arrogant bastard though. But my blood line is, in my honest opinion, perfect."

"I'm sure that's not biased at all," Kiba said, rolling his eyes.

"Basically, in a radius of about fifty meters, I can act as a sort of dampening devise. In other words, I can turn other people's bloodline limits off and on as I choose. Like that Sasuke-teme?!" he yelled jauntily at the brooding Uchiha in the corner. In response, he only got a look of dejection, much to Naruto's glee.

Neji paused, hand to his chin. "So that's why my Byakugan wasn't working in the forest…"

Sasuke glared at Naruto. "And you turned my Sharingan off when we were…" He stopped talking when Naruto frantically started waving him off. It wasn't time for them to know about the demons sealed in his swords.

"So…since this genjutsu was based on someone's bloodline limit…you just…turned it off?" Tsunade looked on in awe. This blood limit was almost as if Naruto had invented it himself. He had always believed that people shouldn't judge others by their clan, or their blood limits, and his own ability mirrored that. Everyone was equal with Naruto.

"Pretty much!" Naruto grinned happily, ecstatic that he could restore his two comrades. He looked up to see Lee, bent over on his hands and knees, face in the ground, prostrate before Tenten.

"Tenten-san!"

"Lee-kun?"

"Please forgive me for my mistake, if it weren't for me, it would be I that lost six weeks of my life!" He remained unmoving, still on his hands and knees, much to Tenten's embarrassment.

"Uh, sure Lee-kun…do I smell sake?"

At this point, Neji made his presence known. "It is good to see you awake, Tenten. Lee has been drinking lately to dull his pain of losing you and Shino because of his mistake. Now that you have awakened however…"

Lee leapt to his feet. "I will never drink again! That is the price I will pay to have Tenten back!" he cried, tears streaming down his face as he lifted one fist in the air as if to prove his seriousness.

Naruto grinned at this interaction, and looked over at Shino, being checked over by Tsunade and his former teammates, Kiba and Hinata. Looking that way, he noticed Sasuke, who gave Naruto a slight jerk of the head. Naruto, understanding the meaning, followed Sasuke outside.

"Yeah, what do you want you bastard?" Naruto clearly hadn't forgiven him for trying to mess with his swords.

"Fight me."

"What the hell? You're reunited with two of your friends and this is all you can think of?"

"Friends? Don't make me laugh. I don't care about them. I don't care about you. All I care about is getting stronger so I can kill Itachi."

"Dammit, you idiot! Haven't you changed at all these past four years? You still won't accept that bonds are what make you strong! You're so arrogant and caught up in the Sasuke parade that you refuse to admit that the bonds you make in your life are what make you human! Revenge won't give you power, neither will hatred!"

"Hn. Preach that crap to someone else weaker than you. I am strong enough to beat you, with or without your bonds. And when I do, you will realize that friends only make you weak."

Naruto glared at the boy. "Let's go," and with that, they disappeared in streaks of color, flying towards a training area.

Jiraiya, who happened to be in the hospital, erm…admiring the nurses…noticed the two men dash out of the building. He sighed, as he stopped his ogling and opened the door where Tsunade was.

"Tsunade? Can you come here a second?" Jiraiya asked cautiously. He knew the events would not be taken well.

Tsunade glanced back at her two patients, who seemed to be doing well, especially with all of their friends chatting amiably amongst themselves. It wasn't often that the "Eleven" was able to live life regularly. Usually it was life and death situations, and seeing them like this made Tsunade smile warmly. She stepped out of the door that Jiraiya was holding open for her.

"What is it Jiraiya? I thought you'd be gone for the day doing your 'research'." With that, Tsunade gave him a fierce glare, but Jiraiya shook it off.

"Naruto and Sasuke just ran off. I doubt it was to get some tea together"

"Shit! What is wrong with those two idiots?!" Tsunade opened the door again, sticking her head inside. "Get up! We have a class A priority emergency! Kiba, track Naruto and Sasuke, the rest of you, follow them and take any measures that you must in order to stop them from tearing the village apart!" As she finished her last syllable, the Eleven vanished, even the two who had been comatose for 6 weeks.

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"Alright Sasuke-teme! Are you ready to get your ass handed to you?" growled Naruto, pounding his fist into his hand as he took an aggressive step forward. Sasuke stood before him, standing straight up, not even taking a defensive stance or giving Naruto the respect to even look him straight in the eye. Sasuke wore an all black training robe, tied at the waste with a white ribbon. He had a sword hanging loosely from his left hip, and, judging from the size of the sheath, it was a katana. Hanging from Sasuke's right hip was a shorter sword, most likely a kodachi. (A/N: Man, I actually did some research on this. A katana is basically a "longsword", with one edge, and slightly curved. The kodachi is a shorter sword, and is around the same length as a wakizashi, commonly referred to as a shield sword, as it was often paired with another sword to maximize it's use)

Sasuke bristled. "Hn. As if a dobe like you could even touch me. You won't even be able to see me!" The last few words came from different areas around Naruto, as he was trapped in a veritable whirlwind. Sasuke was moving so fast that he was leaving after images around Naruto and was kicking up leaves and dust, creating a cyclone of debris and images of Sasuke.

_He's fast! This is…this is amazing!_ Naruto was shocked. His speed didn't even compare to this. This was incomprehensible. His jaw was slack jawed as he looked in awe on the spectacle around him.

"Heh, already stumped dobe? Well, I'll end it quick then, no need to embarrass you anymore than I already have…" At that moment, all of the after images began to descend upon Naruto in streaks of black.

Sasuke smirked as he flashed toward Naruto's back, knowing the blonde before him would not be able to discern his attack out of the many images attack Naruto. This was his favorite opening technique. Sasuke's speed was surprising, but when adding bunshin to the mix, it was devastating. His leg came swiping in a viscous roundhouse kick, preparing to knock Naruto's head off of his shoulders.

But before the leg could get within six inches from his target, Naruto pivoted slightly, bringing his arm up, blocking the blow. What made Sasuke even angrier was the fact that the kick that could have toppled trees was blocked without even making Naruto's arm recoil from the force. No, his arm was still, frozen, as if he had just stopped a feather from hitting him in the face. What unnerved Sasuke was the fact Naruto wasn't looking at him.

"Meh, Sasuke…your speed is amazing…you're way faster than me. But my reflexes have been trained constantly for years. Ero-sennin would attack me randomly and I would have to defend myself. Your attacks might work on other people, but I can block most attacks out of instinct alone. I like to think that while I'm not _fast_, I'm quick."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He would just have to put that theory to the test, wouldn't he? Sasuke stood up to his full height. "Hmph. I doubt it dobe. I'll show you how wrong you are."

Naruto's body seemed to be moving on its own, blocking a flurry of kicks and punches, coming from all sides and angles, several trying to come in below his guard and propel him into the air where he would not be able to get the right leverage to guard. But every time it happened, Naruto would instinctively bring his leg high into the air, preparing for an arcing axe kick, which would come straight down on Sasuke's exposed head should he continue his attack.

Sasuke was frustrated. He was throwing every trick in the book at Naruto, from butterfly kicks, to advanced taijutsu maneuvers, on one occasion trying to just tackle him. But it was all for naught. Naruto moved with a precision that Sasuke had never seen before. His footwork was picture perfect, and every move Naruto made was a move that melded into the next move he would make. He was fluid, precise, exact.

"This is my Wind style," Naruto said, still dodging Sasuke's relentless attacks. "My elemental affinity is wind, so I created a taijutsu style resembling wind. You see Sasuke?" Naruto continued, stepping back, effectively dodging a particularly nasty crescent kick. "This style is fast, it flows, and it's elusive. But, unlike water, my wind style can also cut," Naruto dictated, connecting with Sasuke's chin as he brought up his knee to counter Sasuke's sweep kick. Sasuke flipped backward to try to cushion the blow, but when he hopped backward to gain some distance, he spat out a tooth that had been knocked loose.

"I'll kill you!" Sasuke spat, forming seals, creating Chidori. The sounds of chirping birds filled the forest as Sasuke dashed forward, his right hand trailing behind his body, ready to thrust forward and kill.

"Doubtful," muttered Naruto, "You should know this by now Sasuke, I didn't think you were dumb. Lightning is your elemental affinity. But wind beats lightning any day of the week…Futon: Daitoppa!" Naruto's favorite wind technique shot forward, blowing leaves and dust forward, causing Sasuke's approach to slow and his robes to billow with the fierce wind. Naruto loved this technique, first and foremost, because it was so effective. It was a simple jutsu really, but in the right hands, could be devastating. It could be used offensively, to blow the opposition away, or even slow them down so that Naruto could follow up and take them out. Or, as he used it here, it could be used defensively.

Sasuke threw his palm forward, trying to use his Chidori to create some kind of wind aerodynamic, but he watched in horror as the lightning generated in his palm slowed and began to die down in the fierce winds. As he reached Naruto, his attack had faded away and he was met with a powerful mule kick, sending him flying backwards, clutching his ribs to check to see if anything had broken.

"I see…" he gasped, slowly bringing himself up to a slouched standing position. "Wind beats my lightning…but what about…fire?!" Naruto's eyebrows shot up as Sasuke began making seals at a rapid pace. Over thirty seals had been made in the span of two seconds and Sasuke's hand shot down between his legs again, as if he were making the Chidori again. Only this time, fire erupted from his palm, engulfing his entire hand, and even came midway up his forearm.

"Firebrand!" Sasuke screamed, as he dashed forward at Naruto. Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers. He hadn't expected an original jutsu like this…how could he stop this attack? His wind techniques would just feed the fire…maybe…earth?

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The remainder of the Eleven arrived on scene to see Sasuke dash at Naruto with his destructive Firebrand technique burning around his arm. They looked in shock at his target, who was surprisingly standing stark still, creating seals.

"Hey…I know those seals…he's going to use Doton: Doroku Gaeshi…but Sasuke's attack will cut through that like paper…" Chouji muttered, concern written all over his face.

Naruto finished his seals, as he held the last handseal, waiting for the right moment. If his timing was off, he was dead.

Sasuke shot forward, his eyes blazing hatred and anger. He brought his arm forward, thrusting the fiery palm at Naruto who waited until Sasuke was within a yard of him before he thrust his palms into the ground. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" Immediately, a large wall of stone and earth came flying up from the ground, intercepting Sasuke's attack at the wrist. Sasuke cried out as the sound of his wrists snapping filled the forest.

"Amazing…he used the Earth Shore not as a defensive wall…but as an offensive technique being used defensively…" Shikamaru mused as Chouji nodded his head in agreement.

Kiba scratched his head. "That was a little confusing."

Sasuke lay on his side, his wrist brought in close to his body as he curled up defensively. The Eleven appeared around the two shinobi, and Naruto looked up in surprise. The fight had gotten out of hand.

"Sakura…could you…" Naruto began, the shame evident in his voice. He had not meant to get this carried away.

Sakura strode forward, and kneeled down, trying to get Sasuke's hands out so she could examine them. But Sasuke just moaned and pulled his arms closer to his body. Sakura sighed and poked two of her fingers into the base of his neck, allowing Sasuke to drift into blissful unconsciousness.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as Sakura healed Sasuke's broken wrists. "Heh, sorry Sakura-chan, didn't mean to get that intense…"

Sakura waved off his apology. "Don't worry about it Naruto. Sasuke's fine, and you were acting in self defense. Sasuke will be pretty upset when he wakes up though…"

"Naruto!" came the deafening voice of the Godaime Hokage. Naruto cringed and turned around slowly. Tsunade stood towering before him, which was difficult, since Naruto was taller than Tsunade. She menaced before him, causing him to cower.

"I was going to promote you to chunnin right now, but now I'm second guessing myself. You obviously can't go one day without causing a major predicament in the village! So! In order to become chunnin, you must defeat one shinobi of my choice!"

At this, Neji, Lee, and Kiba looked on with interest. Neji and Kiba wanted revenge for their losses in their first chunnin exams, and Lee just wanted to fight anything with a heartbeat. They shared a glance between themselves. Which one would get the honor of fighting Naruto?

"I choose…" Tsunade began, every shinobi on the edge of their seats. Naruto was visibly salivating at the prospect of fighting the Hyuuga prodigy, or the master of hard work, or even the Inuzuka's most promising youngster.

"Chouji."

"What?!" yelled four voices unanimously. Chouji just sighed, stepping forward to the center of the ring of trees that Sasuke and Naruto had used as their battle arena.

"Tsunade-obaachan! I wanna fight someone else! Like Neji! Or Lee! Or Kiba!"

"No Naruto! What I say goes, and you WILL fight Chouji for the rank of chunnin!"

"Agh. Fine you old hag." Naruto stepped forward confidently.

"Oh, and by the way, Chouji," Tsunade said, "You can remove the seal."

Chouji just nodded, as he formed a single seal and channeled chakra. A black seal in the shape of a star faded away on the side of his neck. Looking around, Naruto noticed that every one of his friends had a similar seal.

"Hm? Seal?" asked Naruto quizzically.

Tsunade answered impatiently. "Well, you really don't think you could take on nine ANBU members alone, do you? The restriction seal that all members of the Eleven have limits their chakra, as well as their jutsu. We don't want too much of their skills to be shown in routine missions and patrols."

Naruto died a little inside. He had thought he beat nine ANBU. And he was wrong.

"You don't think you were the only one training these past few years, do you Naruto?" asked Chouji jauntily, standing in a very relaxed pose.

Naruto just grinned at that. He inspected Chouji, who had changed by leaps and bounds since the last time he had seen him. Chouji was no longer a heavy boy. He had lost all of his baby fat and changed the way the Akamichi worked. No longer did they rely on their fat to fuel their techniques. Chouji was a living testament to that fact. He was huge, about six feet eight inches, and had broad shoulders. His V shaped torso was the talk of many girls in the village and his arms were like tree trunks. His sinewy muscle shifted under his fishnet undershirt. He also wore a jounin jacket over it, and had very baggy pants that were taped at the ankles. Perhaps even more noticeable than his muscular body was the tattoos that covered his arms. Kanji and symbols would themselves around his huge arms. His red hair had grown out long, like his fathers was.

Naruto whistled. "They sure grow 'em big in the Akamichi clan, don't they Chouji?"

Chouji smiled. Naruto was glad to see that Chouji's kindness had not diminished over the years. "Yep. Big and bigger Naruto."

"Ok, well, lets get this party started."

Chouji bit his thumb and rubbed the blood onto his other thumb, smearing some on both arms. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Two clouds of smoke appeared in Chouji's hands, and after the puffs cleared, the Akamichi wielded two massive hammers, ridiculously sized for anyone else. But Chouji handled them with grace and precision, which was strange seeing as each hammer must have weighed at least fifty pounds. Each was made of solid steel, with leather wrappings around the handles for grip. Naruto gulped.

"Prepare yourself Naruto!" Chouji called out cheerfully. Naruto got into the basic stance of his wind style and prepared to fight for his life. Chouji's smiling face suddenly disappeared as his face tightened as he ran forward, swinging one of the hammers down in an arcing smash. Naruto spun to the right as the earth was shattered upon impact. Naruto sweatdropped. This was insane.

Coming inside Chouji's guard, Naruto plowed a fist into Chouji's rock hard abs and felt the muscle give in an inch. Chouji oomphed, but showed no sign of air depletion when he swung his massive hammer down again. Naruto jumped back, his feet rising from the ground for only a second, but it was all Chouji needed. He threw his other war hammer straight into Naruto's side, connecting with Naruto's ribs. He felt three of them shatter as he flew away.

Kiba whistled. "Nice one Chouji."

Chouji grimaced. "I heard his ribs shatter."

The two grinned together. "Ouch."

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"Holy #&ing Akamichi with his !#$# !#$!#ing strength turning my $#ing insides into goo…" muttered Naruto has he reset his ribs by hand, gritting his teeth in pain. He felt the healing chakra of Kyuubi take his newly reset bones and seal them together. Feeling better, Naruto noticed that the hammer that had blasted him away was missing, but then Naruto was forced to instinctively roll to the side as the ground he had been standing on moments ago was decimated. Chouji looked at him, ginning, and Naruto smiled back. This was one of the best fights he had ever experienced.

Naruto retook his wind taijutsu form, slightly holding out one hand, while bending his knees considerably. The other hand was pulled back to his shoulder, ready to lash out quickly and powerfully as a counter. Naruto breathed out, calming himself. He had learned long ago that allowing your emotions to completely guide oneself in a fight was folly. Often times, he would run into a fight blindly, usually leaving him in a very injured state. But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and Naruto learned a very important lesson from his mistakes.

Chouji heaved his two massive mallets up, resting the heads on his broad shoulders.

"Ready to give up?"

Naruto huffed. "I don't give up."

"I had hoped you would say that," Chouji said, pleased that his fight would last a while longer.

Chouji shot forward, bringing his two war hammers down with tremendous force. Naruto slid over three feet, just enough to dodge the blows and retaliated with a stunning jab to the vulnerable and soft side of Chouji's ribs. Chouji winced and dropped his hammers, falling to one knee. Before he could recover, Chouji felt a knee being planted in his chin and began to topple head over heels, rolling away a few meters.

Naruto stood watching his handiwork, panting heavily. Those two attacks he had thrown at the large Akamichi had been two of the strongest blows he had ever made. He knew that he had to get rid of Chouji's weapons, or he would be killed eventually. It was like with Tsunade: one hit and you're done. Naruto looked down to his side satisfied as he saw the two hammers disappear in twin poofs of smoke.

Chouji stood up unsteadily, rubbing his jaw. That Naruto sure packed a punch. But he had caught him off guard. He had apparently been holding back, but Chouji wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating him again. Biting his thumb again to reopen the wound that had already closed partially, Chouji smeared some on different tattoos on his arms.

Naruto watched in horror as two more puffs of smoke appeared around Chouji's hands, eventually fading away to reveal two steel gauntlets. They were black and brown, and had small spikes on the knuckles. Naruto began to cry inside a little. This was just as bad as those two hammers…

"Oy, Naruto!" Naruto looked from the two scary looking gloves to Chouji's face. "I'm a weapons master, as well as Konoha's finest weapon's smith. All of these tattoos on my arms seals away one of my weapons, so it's pretty pointless to try and take em away from me. I've got more weapons than you could even imagine!"

Naruto gulped. His strategy was to eventually run Chouji out of weapons and then finish him off with a couple of well placed jutsu, but now…Naruto supposed he could try to weaken him up with jutsu instead…

"Katon: Karyu Endan!" Naruto held his fingers close to his mouth as he blew out an intense stream of fire at Chouji. The stream streaked towards the massive Akamichi who stood his ground, only holding his gauntlets out and seemingly absorbed the powerful attack.

"Oy, Naruto! Jutsu aren't effective against my Gauntlets of the Gladiator! They absorb chakra from any chakra based attack, making it useless to fight me any other way than with taijutsu! I got the idea of making something like this after I fought Kisame!"

"Y-you fought Kisame?!"

"Yeah! That shark-bastard put me up in a hospital bed for a few weeks, but he got his share of bruises too! Heh heh heh!"

Naruto's eyes widened. He had been underestimated Chouji. He was obviously holding back. It was time to get serious. Naruto got into his basic wind stance, but this time, slid one foot back and one foot forward, the offensive version of his style. It allowed him to weave in and out of attacks easier, but made dodging attacks a little more difficult than when he had his feet squared.

With amazing speed, Naruto appeared in front of Chouji, his roundhouse kick already halfway to Chouji's head, but Chouji ducked underneath it, swinging his left fist in a wicked uppercut that caught Naruto vulnerable while he was suspended in the air. Rather than feel the satisfying feeling that Chouji had begun to get after clobbering someone, he felt only a small popping, as Naruto exploded into a poof of smoke. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Chouji spun around and held his palms out, catching the spinning blue orb held in his opponent's hand.

Naruto grunted, trying to push his Rasengan through Chouji's guard, but the orb slowly began to shrink until it disappeared all together. Chouji reared his fist back and connected with Naruto, who was off balance, in the chest, propelling him back into a tree.

_Shit shit shit!_ Naruto was in a bind. His swift attacks weren't even fazing Chouji, who he assumed would be susceptible to lightning quick attacks, but he was apparently wrong.

_Fine. I'll just change my tactics…_

Naruto slid into a fighting stance, but Chouji noticed it was much different than the previous one Naruto had used.

"Oy, Naruto, what's up with the new stance? Getting frustrated?"

"Not quite yet Chouji! Wind isn't my only elemental affinity! This is my earth style! Here I come!!" And with that, Naruto flickered in front of Chouji, this time, his foot coming down perpendicular to the ground in an axe kick. Chouji brought his armored hands up to block, but when the axe kick connected with his gauntlets, Chouji was forced into the ground a little, kicking up dust from the ground in a small radius around his feet.

_What kind of power is this?!_

"I'm coming again Chouji!" Naruto again disappeared, and appeared in front of Chouji again, his axe kick coming down again.

"You're not going to catch me with that same trick again Naruto!" Chouji yelled, bringing his fist forward in a straight armed punch. His superior reach allowed him to connect with Naruto's stomach before the axe kick could connect. But when his fist connected with Naruto, he felt the same annoying feeling from before. A small popping feel. Chouji looked up in anger as the kage bunshin poofed out of existence. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Chouji noticed a blur in his peripheral vision and spun around quickly, bringing his wide palms out to block any attack that might be thrown.

Naruto pulled back his fist and threw it with all his might, connecting mightily with Chouji's outstretched palms, causing the very earth to quake at the collision. Chouji strained his muscles to repel the vicious attack, but failed to notice that a figure was coming out of the shadow of Naruto.

Out of Naruto's shadow, or, shadow clone, to be more exact, came the true Naruto. Using the same strategy he had used against Zabuza with the Kage Shuriken no jutsu, which hid a second fuma shuriken in the shadow of the first one. Only here, it was a little more complicated. Instead of a second fuma shuriken, hiding under the shadow of the kage bunshin was the real Naruto. With Chouji preoccupied with blocking the powerful attack of the bunshin, Naruto was free to slide under the guard and plant a powerful upward kick into the chin of Chouji, throwing him into the air.

Then, using more kage bunshin as he leapt up, the bunshin used their upwards momentum to kick the large Akamichi higher and higher into the air. All of the spectators held their breath as Naruto finished his "Naruto Rendan", smashing a final axe kick into the gut of Chouji at the peak of their ascent, throwing him down into the ground with an amazing explosion of rock and debris.

Naruto landed outside of the crater created by the large man blasting into the ground. Looking into the cloud of dust expectantly, he was not disappointed to see a large silhouette. Chouji strode out of the cloud, able to fight, but worse for the wear.

"Well, these gloves don't seem to work well against your earth style. I guess I'll have to use my sword."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sword?"

Chouji nodded, dispelling his two gauntlets and smeared some blood that was dripping from his mouth on the palms of both hands. Clapping his hands together, he yelled "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A large cloud of smoke obscured Naruto's view of Chouji for a short moment, but when the smoke parted, Naruto almost wished he hadn't seen what he had to face. In Chouji's hands was the largest zanbato he had ever seen. And he had seen some big swords. Kisame's Samehade, Zabuza's Head Cleaver…but this topped em all.

Chouji rested the enormous sword tip down on the ground. The hilt reached the shoulder of the massive 6'8" shinobi, and the blade was as wide as his enormous biceps.

"Meet my zanbato, Gentei (Limit)."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment. He drew his two swords on his back, but made a silent pact with himself not to use their powers. He would not use the demonic powers against his own friends.

"Then meet my two swords, Hirameki and Fumetsu."

"Let us introduce our swords to each other then," Chouji said, grinning at the prospect of a good sword fight. Frankly, he would be disappointed. Naruto had never actually learned the art of swordsmanship. Jiraiya never used one, so Naruto had taken it upon himself to teach himself, which mostly involved him fighting off hordes of shadow clones with his swords. Most of his moves involved long, sweeping slashes to maximize the amount of clones he could destroy with one attack, and he had never fought against another sword.

Naruto sped forward, on hand holding Fumetsu in the lead horizontally and the other hand holding Hirameki behind him, ready to slash. Chouji hefted his massive sword and twisted it, showing a grace that would seem impossible on a blade of that size. But Chouji's strength was so great that the blade was not only wieldable, but comfortable.

Fumetsu clashed with Chouji's zanbato, Gentei, sending sparks showering to the ground. Naruto smirked, thinking he had won, swinging Hirameki out from behind him at Chouji. Chouji expertly shifted his zanbato's long blade to intercept the attack, even while blocking Naruto's other sword at the same time.

Naruto growled and pushed both of his swords harder, as if to break Chouji's guard, but Chouji just scoffed, using his enormous strength to brush Naruto off.

Naruto skidded a few feet until he came to a stop. Holding his swords in a cross fashion, which looked cool but was pretty useless in a real battle, Naruto scowled at his opponent. Chouji was a true weapons master. He was far above and beyond Naruto in his kenjutsu skills, and his strength was greater as well.

"Ok Naruto, I'm going to end this now!" yelled Chouji, leveling his long sword parallel to the ground, pointing it at Naruto.

Chouji began to channel his chakra around him to the point where it was visible. Then, the chakra began to spread down to the hilt of his zanbato, traveling to the blade and down it to the tip.

"Kousen!"

A wide beam of refined chakra shot out from the tip of the blade, streaking towards a wide eyed blonde. Not having enough time to avoid the fast moving attack, Naruto instead held his two crossed swords in front of his body to defend himself. Chouji watched in interest as Fumetsu took the beam head on and remain unscathed after the beam dissipated.

Chouji's eyebrow's rose. "That's interesting…what an interesting guy." And with that, Chouji fell like a massive tree, falling limply to the ground.

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Chidori- "One Thousand Birds": Kakashi's original jutsu, the user charges chakra into their hand creating lightning. Then, using high speeds, the user can stab through virtually anything.

Firebrand- Sasuke's original jutsu, obviously made using the same concepts as Chidori, only using fire as the medium.

Doton: Doroku Gaeshi- "Earth Release: Earth Shore Return": after striking the ground with their hands, the user causes a large wall of earth to rise from the ground, although it can be drilled through or pierced.

Kuchiyose no jutsu- "Summoning technique": the user can summon a variety of things, summon animals, weapons, supplies, etc. Chouji stores weapons in the seals tattooed on his arms and summons them in battle.

Katon: Karyu Endan- "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile": This technique exhales a long stream of incredibly hot fire from the users mouth.

Hirameki- "Flash of Lightning": one of Naruto's swords, holds the four-tailed demon Hirameki, and has the power of increasing one's speed many times over.

Fumetsu- "Immortal/Indestructible": one of Naruto's swords, holds the five-tailed demon Fumetsu, and is indestructible and can break any guard.

Kousen- "Beam": Chouji channels his chakra into his zanbato Gentei and releases it all at once, projecting a powerful beam attack in the direction he points the sword. It apparently drains him quite a bit.

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Ok, sorry about the long update. I actually had 2000 words of this finished within a day of my last update, but I kinda forgot about it for a few weeks after that. I hope you liked my fight with Chouji. I was just trying to set the bar on how strong those of the "Eleven" really are. Btw, if you're wondering, they will be the Twelve Swordsmen of the Hidden Leaf, and they'll all have at least on sword. Hope you liked what I did with Chouji.

Oh, and for those of you who are curious, or maybe angry, Sasuke doesn't suck. He had his restriction seal, severely hampering his abilities. And, in case you haven't noticed, Sakura has changed for the better. It's all about the journey folks, all about the journey.

Read and Review!! AHAHA! My longest chapter ever!!!


	15. Chapter 14: Kousou!

School's out so I should be able to update a lot faster.

Ok, a little housekeeping, a lot of you were wondering about power levels and whatnot, and I'll say this. Naruto, without Kyuubi's powers, or Hirameki and Fumetsu, is about equal to the rest of 'em. With his two swords and their powers, he could probably fight three of them to a stand still…that is…heh, never mind, I won't ruin it. So yeah, with Kyuubi's power, he could probably beat Jiraiya. But don't think the rest of the "Konoha Elite" don't have something up their sleeves!

Enough spoilers. Anyways, I've been looking for some good Bleach fan fics, but all I could find are these fluffy romance things…Anyone know of any good ones? Heck, I've also been looking for more good Naruto fan fics, so if you know of any that aren't on my favorites list, shout em out for me. But I do have one request, that they be well written. Sure, sure, plot, character development, fight scenes, they're all important, but if it's badly written: bad spelling, bad grammar, etc etc, it kind of ruins it.

Well anyways…back to the show!

Chapter 13

The rest of the "Eleven" watched in horror as their large friend fell to the ground motionless. Sakura immediately rushed to his side, her hands glowing with green energy, checking his vitals and finding any critical damage.

"Wow…Chouji's last attack should have finished you off Naruto…" mused Shikamaru, longtime friend of the Akamichi. "That beam was strong enough to level the Hokage monument…"

Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, well, I guess I got lucky…"

The sound of someone behind him caused Naruto to spin around quickly, only for him to be face to face with Tsunade herself.

"Naruto, I would like to congratulate you on your promotion to chunnin!" she said, handing him a green flack jacket which Naruto accepted, smiling, and immediately put on over his tight fitting black shirt.

"Whoohoo! One step closer to Hokage!" Naruto whooped, jumping into the air and pumping his fist.

Tsunade turned to the rest of the ninja present. "Now if I recall correctly, the rest of you have a mission…Chouji and Sasuke are exempt though, as they are in no condition to fight." The remaining members of the "Eleven" nodded sharply and dashed off into the forest.

"Now, Naruto, I'm sure you have a lot of things to do, so make yourself at home."

Naruto grinned and sheathed his swords, walking off to explore the village of his childhood.

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2 weeks later

In the two weeks that had passed after Naruto's promotion to chunnin, he had rented a new apartment in a much classier neighborhood than his old apartment. His new apartment was also much more elaborate, but perhaps the biggest reason why the apartment complex was so appealing to him was the relative lack of hatred for the blonde jinchuriki. The landlord was a retired ninja, one who knew the difference between an evil demon lord and a young blonde man. With a spacious living room and kitchen, as well as a master and guest bedroom, Naruto felt like he was living the good life, for once in his life.

He ate at Ichiraku's at least three times a week, making it a point to be there and support old man Teuchi and Ayame, both of whom he treated as family. On more than one occasion, Naruto and Chouji had eaten there together, drawing quite a crowd to see the spectacle of the two ramen blackholes, sucking down bowl after bowl.

But Tsunade was not living the good life, like Naruto was. Rather, she was stuck up in the hellhole she knew only as the Hokage's office. Sitting behind mountains of paperwork, Tsunade found the sheet she had been searching for. Over the last two weeks, Tsunade had been drafting certain plans for the most promising ninja in the village. She glanced it over and called in Shizune.

"Shizune, I need you to summon all of the "Eleven" as well as Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said, as she rushed out the door, handing summons papers to several chunnin who sped off to deliver them.

Within fifteen minutes, the entire group was huddled inside the now cramped office. Chouji was hunched in a corner, arms crossed, while Naruto too was feeling a little claustrophobic.

"I've called you all here today to tell you that the "Eleven" has been disbanded." Murmurs began to run through the ninja, all of them shocked that their group had been destroyed. They had the highest mission completion percentage, as well as the lowest mission casualties. Why would they disband the most powerful group in the village?

"Calm down, calm down," Tsunade said, waving her hand. "The disassembly of the Eleven is necessary for the next order of business of this meeting. The creation of a new group. As you know, there is an evil organization out there, the Akatsuki. Their mission is, apparently, to collect the powers of the biju. On Naruto's extended training mission, Jiraiya spent a large amount of time studying the Akatsuki and finding information on them. He has found that the Akatsuki need the powers of the biju to awake a being more powerful than any of the tailed demons. We, of course, need to stop them. As you know, Naruto is the container for the Kyuubi, the ninetailed fox. He is one of the nine that the Akatsuki seek. We must put all of our efforts to stop the Akatsuki in their tracks and protect the nine containers, is that understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" resounded the ninja in the room, minus Naruto.

"Good. Now, the name of the new group will be the Kousou!"

"Kou…sou?" Naruto muttered, as he played around with the sound of the word.

"Fitting" said Shikamaru as he nodded slowly. (A/N: Shikamaru is talking about the meaning of "Kousou", which is roughly "resistance".)

"Yes. The purpose of Kousou is to find and stop Akatsuki in any way possible. You will be split up into groups of two. This is to allow you to fight on equal footing with the Akatsuki who also travel in pairs, yet also be able to respond separately to different needs. Your teams will be as I assign no ifs or buts about it."

"Akamichi Chouji and Tatsumaki Tenten! Chouji, you will act as the tank and close range fighter. You are more than a match for anybody in taijutsu, but your long range capabilities are limited! Tenten, you are there to alleviate that problem. Use your long range attacks to support Chouji and you two will be a deadly team!"

"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura! Sasuke, you are one of the top ninja in Konoha and it is up to you to protect Sakura. Sakura, use your medical ninjutsu to support Sasuke and you too will also be a tough match for any Akatsuki!"

"Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata! Time and time again you have proved that your teamwork is unparalleled! You two are the most impressive two man cell I have ever witnessed!"

"Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee! You too rely on good teamwork, and your combined taijutsu can create havoc against any opponent!"

"Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino! You two are specialists in finding the Akatsuki. Most of the time you will be accompanied by a more combat heavy team and work as a four man cell to track and eliminate the Akatsuki wherever they may be!"

"Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru! Naruto, you are the heavy combat specialist of this squad, while Shikamaru will provide the support with his shadow techniques as well as tactical advice. Shikamaru, keep Naruto in line and in check, and don't let his emotions cloud his decisions!"

"You have your assignments, now go and prepare for missions. You will be receiving them within a week." And with that, the crowded room suddenly became empty, save for Tsunade and her mountain of paperwork. "Sigh…you'd think that at least Sakura would stay and help me with this crap…Oh well, comes with the job…" she grumbled, taking a paper off the stack on her desk.

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Shikamaru and Naruto sat across from each other, a shogi board between them. Naruto yawned as Shikamaru studied the board.

"Man…why are we doing this again Shikamaru?" whined Naruto, hunching over and looking at the small board.

"We are doing this because this is the best way I can get to know you" drawled Shikamaru, moving a piece. If things worked out how Shikamaru thought they would, he would win in four more moves.

"Sigh…this sucks man! Can't we just fight or something?"

"Think of this game as fighting and maybe you'll learn something too."

"Argh! I hate this boring crap!" Naruto yelled in frustration as he moved a piece. Shikamaru's eyebrows raised as he studied Naruto's move. It was completely random. Why would he do that? _Doesn't matter…it doesn't interfere with my plan…_

Shikamaru lifted another piece across the board and moved it forward. So far, he would win in three more moves.

Naruto slumped on the ground on his stomach, twiddling his thumbs as he whistled.

"Naruto, it's your turn."

"Yeah, I know."

Five minutes passed as Naruto continued to play with his fingers and whistle.

"Are you going to move?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm thinking."

"You don't look like you're thinking."

"Oh, I'm sorry, do I look like I'm thinking now?" Naruto sat up cross legged and put his hands together in Shikamaru's signature thinking pose, clenching all the muscles in his face as if he were thinking really hard. Shikamaru's vein throbbed.

"No, you look like a constipated cow."

Naruto glared and continued to sit, in the "thinking pose". Thirty minutes passed and nothing happened.

"Will you move?!" screamed Shikamaru as he stood up.

"Haha! I got you! You don't like this crap either, do you!?" yelled Naruto, standing up as well and pointing across the board.

"You...you've been just waiting there to annoy me?"

"Um…maybe…"

"You…you…you're dead!" snarled Shikamaru as he threw himself over the shoji board.

"Oh shit!" screamed Naruto as he dove out of the way of the enraged Nara genius. Shikamaru just continued to chase him, but Naruto's superior strength and speed allowed him to pin Shikamaru easily. Naruto looked to his left as he was pinning the struggling Shikamaru to the ground and moved his piece on the shoji board.

"I win!"

Shikamaru froze. "What?!" He scrambled out of Naruto's hold and checked the board. "How…how did you…"

"Yeah! Take that! I'm the champion of shoji! Bow to me!" sang Naruto as he danced around in a circle, pumping his fists into the air.

_Wow…his random moves…they all interconnect to create a focused attack…how is that possible? Uzumaki Naruto…you are a surprising guy…_

"Naruto."

Naruto stopped his "happy dance", as he liked to call it, and turned around to face a solemn faced Shikamaru.

"I'm sorry for my outburst Naruto. The only reason why I got so mad was because it seemed you weren't taking me seriously. But it seems I was mistaken. I have learned a lot about you in this short time. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at eight for training." As he turned to leave, Naruto closed the distance between them and put his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Wait…I played your game so that you could get to know me. Now you play my game so I get to know you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Game?"

Naruto took a few paces backwards. "Show me how far you've come Shikamaru! Fight me!"

"Why are you so persistent Naruto?"

"Because I don't give up! That's my nindo!" he shouted back, giving a quick thumbs up. When he opened his eyes, Shikamaru was gone.

"You should pay attention to your opponent Naruto…" came a voice that was inches away from his left shoulder. Naruto spun around, but three quarters of the way there, a fist struck him in the stomach.

"Umph!" Naruto was sent flying across the training field. When he tried to get up, he noticed his body wasn't responding to commands. Looking to the side and seeing Shikamaru coming closer, he began to struggle harder.

"Struggle all you want Naruto. One punch from this," he held up a fist covered in black energy, "and you're as helpless as a child. I call it my Kage Fuzui." Shikamaru got close enough to touch the helpless blonde. "Give up now."

"I don't give up! THAT'S…MY…NINDO!" bellowed Naruto, his chakra flaring as blue chakra began to dance around his body. Shikamaru put up an arm to protect his face from the small storm that was being created around the prostrate form of Naruto. When the storm of swirling blue chakra finally subsided, Naruto was revealed, standing upright again, ready to fight.

"You caught me off guard once. It won't happen again" Naruto stated, beckoning Shikamaru to attack with a flick of his fingers.

Shikamaru nodded, forming a single seal with one hand. "Kage Koutai."

Shikamaru seemed to melt into the ground, reappearing behind Naruto, kunai already swiping forward. Naruto sensed his presence and rolled forward, kicking out wildly with one foot as he dodged the slash. One foot connected, by sheer luck, with Shikamaru's stomach, forcing him backwards and leaving him short of breath.

Naruto turned around to face his opponent yet again, who regained his breath and stood up as well. "What was that last jutsu Shikamaru?"

"The Kage Koutai. It allows me to shift from one shadow to the next, perfect for a sneak attack or a speedy escape."

"Hm…interesting…Come one Shikamaru! Show me how far you've come!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." Starting a long series of seals, Naruto prepared himself for the next attack.

"Consuming Shadows…" Shikamaru muttered, as his eyes clouded over until they were jet black. Holding the last seal of his sequence, chakra began to swirl around him visibly, creating a small dust storm around the usually lazy Nara. The blue chakra slowly darkened in appearance until it matched the color of his eyes, creating a black veil covering most of Shikamaru's body and face. "Feel the full power of my shadow Naruto."

A bead of sweat slowly made its way down his face. He had never thought Shikamaru would take the battle so seriously. But he would show Shikamaru his power as well.

Mistaking Shikamaru's technique as some kind of ultimate finishing destructive attack, Naruto began to power up his Rasengan. Pumping chakra into the small ball, he called out, "Well Shikamaru, don't hold back!" Finally, the small blue orb was stabilized, its deep blue hue contrasting sharply with the shadows that danced around his lower body…

Naruto's eyes flew wide open in surprise. As he looked down at his legs, he could see they were covered in shadow. After several attempts, he found that it was useless to try to move them and instead tried smashing his ultimate attack down into the ground in an effort to disrupt the shadow's effect. But to no avail. Sensing the end, Naruto looked up at Shikamaru who stood twenty feet away, black chakra still dancing around his feet. "Shadow Assassination" he whispered, as he melted into the ground.

Naruto felt completely helpless as he stood, motionless and frozen, unable to move because of the shadow covering three fourths of his body. Shikamaru rose out of a circle of shadow in front of Naruto, the surface of the circle rippling as if it were a pool of water. As Shikamaru arose, he formed a few seals, whispering "Kage no Yaiba." Raising the shadow blade over his head, Naruto closed his eyes tightly as Shikamaru swung his blade down.

And like that, it was over. Naruto fell to the ground, released from the shadow bind he was subject to moments ago. Shikamaru had sliced off a small lock of Naruto's hair with the blade, and stood before Naruto, panting for air.

"Why didn't you escape Naruto?" Shikamaru gasped between breaths.

Naruto grinned as he stood up. "So you noticed, eh?"

"Yeah, you had a window of opportunity but you just sat there instead…"

"Meh. I wanted to see how strong you've gotten. Plus I was curious what was gonna happen next," Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear.

Shikamaru flopped backwards, lying on his back on the soft grass looking up at the clouds. Naruto followed suit and flopped down with him.

"Sigh. Why are you such a troublesome guy Naruto?"

"Heh. At least I've always been a troublesome guy. Since when have you been the number one most active ninja in Konoha?" Naruto asked, laughing.

"Hmph. I think I got replaced once you returned old friend," Shikamaru retorted, laughing as well.

"Man…you guys have changed so much…Chouji's deadly…"

"You've changed just as much Naruto. We've been training extra hard to protect the village. Those were your wishes, weren't they?"

"Heh. I almost forgot about those old notes…"

"I haven't. I don't think any of have. All of us have been training with our families and are emerging as the top ninja of Konoha. But I'm sure you have surpassed us by training with Jiraiya-sama…"

"Hah! Don't be so sure! You guys had a whole village to learn from. All I had was a stinky old pervert," laughed Naruto, making a face at his last statement.

Shikamaru laughed. "You haven't changed at all Naruto."

"That's not true Shikamaru. I've changed so much…it's just…it's just that…I guess I'm afraid of what you guys will think if I let my guard down…I learned a lot of lessons about being a ninja when I was out with Jiraiya. Like how to kill a man without allowing him to even make a noise. Or how to get information out of a hostage…I wish I hadn't learned some of that stuff…I feel different Shikamaru. I feel grown up now."

"We all have to grow up at some time Naruto."

"True. I remember my first kill. Took me two weeks to come to terms with it…"

"What happened?"

"Bandits…I pumped too much chakra into my Rasengan. Next thing I knew, I was covered in his blood."

"Hm. As much as I'd like reminiscing with you, Chouji's probably going to want to see you…" Shikamaru said as he stood up slowly, holding out a hand to Naruto.

Naruto took the hand and pulled himself off the ground. "See me? Why?"

"He can explain it better than I can. Come on, lets go."

The two walked off towards the market district, Shikamaru in the lead and Naruto following.

"Oy, Shikamaru? Chouji and you still friends?"

Shikamaru turned his head slightly and looked back at the blonde following him. "Best friends."

"Oh, I see. Well, I was wondering, how strong is he really? I mean, I didn't see him use any jutsu…except for that last one. Is he only taijutsu and kenjutsu like Lee?"

"No, he just doesn't like using his jutsu in spars. His family jutsu take up a lot of energy to use, and most of his doton jutsu are way too devastating to use in a friendly fight."

"I see…but what about that last attack?" Naruto asked.

"Asking about my Gentei's Kousen?" came a booming voice. Naruto looked up to see the massive form of Chouji standing in the doorway of a large shop. "Come in, come in!"

Shikamaru followed Chouji through the shops wide doorway and Naruto followed as well. "Chouji, tell me about your zanbato." Chouji spun around and began to talk. Naruto had touched on a subject that Chouji loved to talk about.

"Well you see, Gentei, my zanbato, was forged right here by me. It's the largest sword I've ever seen personally, though I'm sure there are bigger out there. You see, I've developed this way of forging swords that links someone's soul energy with the sword to create a whole new weapon. That's why I called you here."

"Wait wait wait. You link someone's soul energy with their sword? Is that what you did with Gentei?"

"Well, basically I fuse their chakra into the sword while I'm forging it, as well as a little of their blood. This changes the properties of the sword. Not even I can predict what will happen!"

"What happened with your sword?"

"Well, with Gentei, I got a sword that was stronger than diamond and shaper than a razor. In its second stage, I can use Kousen."

"Second stage?"

"Oh yeah! Each and every one of my soul swords has a second stage. Some can even surpass that, but that's not important. Basically, the second stage acts as an increase in power and strength, as well as the addition of new abilities. For instance, in my second stage, I'm able to use Kousen! Kousen consumes huge amounts of my chakra and stamina to use a devastating beam of energy that can destroy mountains!"

"Hm…I can see how the blade seems linked to you…Kousen seems really similar to your family jutsu. An increase in power in exchange for hurting yourself."

"You are quite observant Naruto-san."

"Naruto's fine Chouji."

"Naruto it is then!" laughed the amiable Akamichi. "I wanted to see you so that I could make you one of my soul swords! Everyone on the Eleven…or should I say Kousou, has one…well, that is except for Shikamaru here." Chouji shot Shikamaru a glare which Shikamaru pretended not to notice.

"Sigh…Chouji, I have no use for such a sword. Their troublesome and I can create my own shadow blade so it's pointless!"

"Please Shikamaru! It would mean a lot to me!" Chouji pleaded.

Shikamaru slumped in defeat. "Fine! Do what you want Chouji, just make it too troublesome…"

Chouji grinned. "Naruto, the reason I called you here is the same reason I wanted Shikamaru here. I would like to make you one of my special swords also. I know you have a couple of swords, but I assure you, they are nothing compared to mine!"

Naruto sweat dropped. "Eh…I'm not so sure about that…my swords are pretty special…one of a kind if you know what I mean…"

"Naruto! Mine are one of a kind as well! There is no possible way your two swords can outmatch mine, so just give in! I'm doing you a favor!"

"Um…I think I'd rather keep my own thanks Chouji…"

"I'm not taking no for an answer! Shikamaru!"

Naruto whipped his head around to see the shadow user form a few seals. "Man, this is so troublesome Chouji…if he doesn't want it, he doesn't want it…Kage Mane no jutsu!"

Naruto froze. Chouji walked up victoriously, forming seals as he moved closer to the immobile form of Naruto. "Don't worry, it's a painless process. Chakra Extraction!" Chouji plunged his glowing hand into Naruto's chest, connecting for several seconds before pulling his open hand out, and with it, a small blue mass of Naruto's chakra. Chouji immediately put it into a small scroll, sealing it away for future use. "Ok Shika, you can let him go."

Shikamaru sighed, a single sweat drop rolling down his face. "He started struggling towards the end...that was really troublesome Chouji. Why does everyone have to have one of your swords?"

"Principle!"

Naruto sighed. Even if Chouji DID make him the sword, it doesn't mean that he has to use it…right? Shaking his head, he began to walk out the door with his hands in the deep pockets of his cargo pants.

"Yo! Naruto! Five days and it'll be done!"

Naruto waved over his shoulder. "I'll see you then Chouji!"

_I wonder what else I can do around here…_

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Wandering around proved to be highly effective for Naruto, as he was able to find a weapons store where he could restore his stock of kunai and shuriken. He could have bought them from Chouji, but frankly, he scared the hell out of Naruto. Entering the store, he heard a tiny jingle as he opened the door.

Naruto entered the store and began browsing the aisles, looking for kunai and shuriken that met his standards. Suddenly, two slender, soft hands snaked around his neck and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" came the soft, feminine voice.

"Uh…I have no idea."

The hands removed themselves from his eyes, allowing him to look behind him to see the smiling face of Tenten.

"It's me baka!" she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. Naruto winced and grabbed the place she struck him. She was stronger than he'd expected.

"Ah, Tenten, what are you doing here?"

"This is my family's shop! I assume you're here for some weapons…"

"Right on. Any suggestions?"

"Well, these over here are really high quality, and the ones over there are a lot cheaper, though you'll be sacrificing quality for quantity."

Naruto grinned. "I guess it's the cheap stuff for me Tenten!"

Tenten smiled back. "No shame in that Naruto. Here, these are really good for their price," she said as she handed him a set wrapped in cloth.

"Thanks Tenten…hey, I was wondering, you're a weapons master like Chouji, right?"

"Well, I don't know about "master", but yeah, I know a few things."

"That's great! You think you could teach me some kenjutsu? I'm…"

"Horrible?" Tenten finished.

Naruto made a face. "Well, if you want to put it that way, yes, my swordsmanship could use some work. Do you think you can you teach me some basics?"

Tenten put her finger to her face, as if she were pondering, only to break out into a dazzling grin that made Naruto's knees buckle. "Of course Naruto! Maybe you can help me on my ninjutsu!"

"Sure! How bout…tomorrow at eight?" Naruto asked, handing money over to Tenten to cover the cost of the kunai.

"It's a date!"

"Wait, what?"

"Oh nothing!" Tenten skipped off into the employees section, leaving a dumbstruck blonde out in the store with replacement kunai. Chuckling, Naruto left the store and started home. _Already my life is getting crazy…_

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Sasuke stood in front of the memorial stone, his dark hair covering most of his face to any passing onlookers. Sasuke knelt in front of the stone, his hand reaching out and lightly touching the cool stone with his fingertips.

"Have I lost my way Naruto? Am I so stupid that I forgot my promise?"

_Flashback_

_Sasuke stood before the grave of his deceased blonde friend. The rain slowly pattered down onto his black cloak, but he didn't care. Gazing at the stone, Sasuke made a silent promise with himself and his dead teammate._

_I will not allow revenge to take over my life. I will live my life for myself…because of you, Naruto. Thank you._

_End Flashback_

"Naruto…even though you're not dead…I will try…no, I will definitely keep my promise."

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke glanced behind him. The mop of pink hair told him all he needed to know. "Haruno-san" came the emotionless greeting.

"Sasuke-kun…what are you doing here?"

Sasuke was about to give a snide remark, when he looked back down at the stone. "I…I…would you like to go get some lunch Sakura?"

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Whew, long update. So sorry, schools out, so we'll see what happens.


	16. Chapter 15: Lots and lots of Filler

Slow update…writer's block kinda.

Ok, first and foremost, I'll get to the NaruHina when I decide to get to it! Yeah, deal with it! Seriously though, NaruHina lovers, you guys are gonna have to wait. Frankly though, I'm a firm believer that waiting for something makes it sweeter. So be patient! I'll just be that much better when it finally happens.

Oh yeah! I wrote a one-shot! It's pretty good in my opinion; you guys should go read it. It's called The Darkness in Kage Bunshin. Go now! And don't forget to review! (I'm kind of a review junkie)

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Chapter 14

Naruto was pushed backwards, sliding rapidly even has he tried to get some friction beneath his feet. Who knew that such a small girl could have so much power?

Naruto finally skidded to a stop, holding his two swords out in front of him in an X shaped defensive pattern.

"You really have to stop that Naruto!" called Tenten from across the training field. "It really isn't a very effective stance!"

Naruto sighed. "I know…but it just looks so cool!"

Tenten gave him an exasperated look, and Naruto reluctantly lowered his two swords into the stance that Tenten had showed him earlier.

Three Hours Later

Naruto flopped onto the ground, sweat causing his black shirt to cling tightly to his well defined body. Lying on the ground, he brought his hands up behind his head and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly, he felt something on his stomach. Looking down, he saw Tenten lying perpendicular to him, her head resting on his strong abdominal muscles. She sighed, yet to Naruto, it seemed like it was a sweet melody.

"Resting like this after a hard day of training…I could certainly get used to this, couldn't you Naruto-kun?"

Not used to being in such close proximity to the opposite sex, Naruto's response was filled with awkward stutters and cracks. "Uh…d-definitly T-tenten-chan…"

Tenten sighed again, relaxing her body and melting up against Naruto's firm stomach. _A girl could get used to this!_

Naruto was incredibly nervous. In his travels with Jiraiya, he had very little contact with females, and Tenten was very forward. He had no idea what to do.

"H-hey, Tenten…let's, uh, keep training?"

Tenten gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. "I guess…" she said, reluctance in her voice.

Naruto cracked a nervous smile, "Great!" Tenten got back onto her feet, holding out a hand to help Naruto get up.

"Okay, first thing's first. Let's check for any kind of elemental affinity…" Naruto began to dig through the deep pockets in his green cargo pants, finally pulling out the white cards that he had used in his training with Jiraiya.

"All you have to do is channel some chakra into it, go ahead."

Tenten took the paper and began to channel when the paper burst out into flames, causing her to jump back a little.

"Fire? That's great! I know a bunch of great fire techniques!" Without warning, Naruto jumped back a good distance, causing Tenten to flinch yet again.

"Naruto? What are you doing?"

"The best way for me to show you fire techniques and their effectiveness is by demonstration. We'll spar and I'll show you the fire techniques I know."

Tenten slowly nodded. Being the bull's eye in fire jutsu target practice sounded a little daunting, but she would do it; to impress a certain blonde.

"Yosh! Here I come!" Naruto yelled, as he began forming seals. "Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"

Hundreds of small fireballs flew from his mouth, flying at Tenten with surprising speed. Flipping backwards and exhibiting surprising agility, Tenten managed to avoid all of the fireballs, only to look up in horror. "Katon: Karyu Endan!" A massive stream of fire began streaking towards her, the tip forming the intimidating shape of the giant maw of a dragon.

Again forced on the defensive, Tenten dove to the side, only to see that after she narrowly avoided the flames, the stream of fire did a complete one-eighty, attacking her from the behind. This time, Tenten would not just run away. This time, she would show her power.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" The flaming jaw of the dragon connected with Tenten, exploding in a fiery flash.

"Tenten!" yelled Naruto in concern, dashing forward to check on her. As the smoke cleared, Naruto slowed to a stop.

"Don't underestimate me Naruto-kun!" Tenten cheerfully called out. In her right hand, there was the largest shield Naruto had ever seen. It easily was as tall as her, and as wide as Chouji. It could easily cover her entire body, protecting her from any frontal assault.

Naruto chuckled. It was true he had been underestimating her. From what he had seen so far, Tenten was a weapons master, but little of anything else. Her taijutsu was average and her genjutsu and ninjutsu were weak. He'd have to keep his eyes open. The last thing he wanted to do was look down on someone. He knew how painful that could be.

Tenten tensed as she watched Naruto forming more seals. She began to edge the shield in front of her, wary of the next jutsu he would use. "Katon: Haisekisho!"

Instead of the customary fire, a thick cloud of black ash flew out of Naruto's mouth, flying towards Tenten. Due to its intangible and flowing nature, Tenten ditched the shield and instead opted to run. She turned tail and began to run, the thick ash coming closer. She could feel the heat generated by the thick ash, the air pulsating with the high temperatures that were making Tenten break out into a sweat. Finally, when the cloud began to get too close, Tenten dove off into the shrubbery. The superheated cloud of ash flew past her position, yet there was a long cloud of the ash still hanging in the air everywhere it had been present.

Being careful to avoid the cloud of superheated ash, Tenten made her way back to where Naruto was. Glancing at the cloud hanging in the air with dismay, Tenten realized that her evasion ability had been severely hampered. A loud yell snapped her out of her thoughts. Tenten cursed as she looked up at the hundreds of fireballs approaching her location. Looking to her side, she knew if she entered the ash she would be severely burned. If she moved to the other side, she would be entering the highest concentration of the small fireballs. So the only option was…up. Jumping into the air, Tenten breathed a small sigh of relief. She had successfully dodged all of the fireballs.

Naruto smiled to himself as he saw Tenten take the only remaining option. The point of this demonstration was to show what fire jutsu were best at. Usually, they had two uses. The first was what he had been doing so far with the techniques: feints, distractions and attacks that would move the target into optimum position to eliminate. The second use was as a finisher. Fire attacks were largely inaccurate, but devastatingly powerful, which made them perfect for a finisher when a target no longer could dodge.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Looking back down to the earth, Tenten noticed a huge fireball streaking towards her. Since she was in the air, she had no way to dodge, so she did the only thing she could do. "Kuchiyose no jutsu" she muttered, summoning the shield back to her hands. Pivoting in midair, Tenten was able to slide the shield between her and the massive ball of fire at the last moment. Many passing villagers suddenly had to shield their eyes from a bright flash in the sky that rivaled even the sun. The villagers who had looked up to see the source of the flash would only see a small figure falling from the sky, smoke trailing from its form.

Tenten was in trouble. The fireball was amazingly powerful…more powerful than she could have ever imagined. Her shield had done its job…after all, it had many powerful seals on it protecting it from any kind of attack. No, the fireball hadn't hurt her…but now she was falling haphazardly to the earth, some thirty feet below her. A fall from that height…could be fatal.

Naruto looked up at the falling figure of Tenten, watching with concern as he noticed her very random falling pattern. Ninja regularly jump over thirty feet, but they always land with grace, like a cat. That is because they always calculate their jumping pattern, but it's almost impossible to calculate the effects of a grand fireball technique on your trajectory.

Naruto began to run towards the falling figure of Tenten. She could land on her legs, which would be okay. She could land on her hands, which would also be okay, seeing as broken arms were commonplace in the ninja world and could be healed easily. But her head and her back…those were the problems. If she landed on her back, she could easily break the delicate spinal cord and perhaps end her shinobi career forever. Her head would be the worst place to land…there was a higher chance that her spinal cord would break and it could also lead to concussions or lasting brain damage.

Naruto had his eyes locked onto Tenten as he ran as fast as he could. At the last second, Naruto leaped forward, intercepting the kunoichi as she was less than eight feet off the ground. Then, in midair, he pivoted, placing himself between her and the ground. As they landed, Tenten could feel herself impacting with Naruto's body, as Naruto took the brunt of the landing on his strong back muscles.

But that was the last thing they were thinking about at that moment. As Naruto had landed on the earth, Tenten was thrown towards Naruto, and Naruto recoiled towards Tenten. And in that moment, their lips met. Time froze. Their eyes were wide open, looking straight into each others eyes, peering into their souls. When Naruto finally had the sense to remove himself from Tenten, the damage was done. Love was in the air.

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Perhaps the one thing that the now disbanded "Konoha Eleven" was known for was not their combat skills. Though they were known as elite fighters and superior ninja, they were known for one other thing that surpassed even their shinobi skills. Romance.

There were many romance magazines that were present in Konoha, first and foremost was the Konoha Inquirer. The Inquirer had recently run an article about the "Konoha Eleven", and every single copy had been purchased. The article had basically compiled, evaluated, and reviewed the gossip and speculation about the love lives of the "Eleven", though many of the pairings had often been merely that: speculation.

Each member had an extensive history, their romances made public in this article. For example, Shikamaru had dated Ino extensively before ending the relationship and now was thought to be flirting with Temari of the Sand. But that could just be gossip.

Neji had at one point dated three girls at the same time, all of them non-ninja, and all of them not knowing about the other girls he had been dating. This of course, soon ended and later Neji was seen going into a restaurant with Tenten. This could have been simply a business date, seeing as they were on the same team, but the Inquirer insisted that this was a romantic atmosphere, complete with candlelight dinner and even a brief kiss. Of course, the Inquirer was also known to…elaborate on some of its stories. The history of Neji and Tenten then seemed to end, as Tenten began a very short relationship with Lee, which soon ended when Lee finally got a date with Sakura.

Ino, mentioned earlier, was often the center of scandal. At one point or another, the general populace had believed her to be romantically involved with every single male member of the Konoha Eleven. Whether this was true or not, remains to be seen. Sakura, however, was the member least involved in the gossip. Her only relationship had been with Lee, and was still active.

Yes, while known worldwide for their fighting prowess, the Eleven were known for their romantic antics in their home village. And the addition of a blonde heartthrob was about to add a little more spice to the mix.

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Naruto was walking home after a very pleasant lunch with a certain hazel eyed kunoichi. They had talked, laughed, and really connected on various levels. Naruto just knew this girl was something special. As he strolled down the streets, something caught his eye. Stopping in the middle of the crowded street, he was plowed into by a large man walking behind him. Naruto was sent sprawling onto the ground and jumped up immediately, fists raised.

"Who did that? Come on! Let's rumble! Oh, I see! You're scaaaared! Well fine you pansy just run into me and walk off without an apology, see if I care! AAAAARGH!" Naruto froze. He had attracted quite a crowd. It wasn't every day you see a ninja freak out and go off into a full fledged monologue in the middle of the street. Naruto sighed. He got no respect.

Finally, Naruto found the thing that had caught his eye. Standing in front of a small cart, he saw many magazines laid out for sale, but one in particular intrigued him. Handing over a few coins and picking up the magazine, Naruto rushed home, eager to read the contents.

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Naruto lay on his stomach, tossing the magazine down in front of him. The latest issue of the Konoha Inquirer. The cover page: "Konoha's Golden Boy". On the cover was a full page picture of Naruto's smiling face, apparently taken very recently. Flipping to page 48, Naruto was surprised to find pictures of him and Tenten. What had happened only hours ago had already made it into this magazine's cover story! The article included an in depth analysis of the couples chances of succeeding, as well as a side note which measured Naruto's "hotness level".

"Naruto's hotness is only comparable to that of Uchiha Sasuke. But where Sasuke-kun is cold steel, Naruto is a fuzzy teddy bear," he read aloud. Flipping the page, he found a centerfold, which he promptly unfolded, revealing an enormous poster size picture of Naruto's and Tenten's accidental kiss. Scratching his head, Naruto could not figure out how someone had gotten these pictures…obviously a ninja, that was certain. Naruto knew that he would have sensed any civilian photographer in the vicinity, so he knew that a ninja was the culprit. A very skilled ninja. One who specialized in stealth. Browsing through the rest of the Inquirer, Naruto not only discovered that Kiba wore boxer-briefs, but also that Ino had been seen walking into the hottest club in Konoha with Hyuuga Neji.

After a grueling hour of submersing himself into this material, Naruto finally flipped the last page and closed the magazine. For some reason, Naruto felt a little angry. Angry that someone had been spying on him. Angry that his private affairs had been observed and now made public. Naruto was a fairly private person, and he did not appreciate his privacy being invaded. But he was also glad. Glad that someone was about to pay.

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Walking the streets of Konoha, Naruto searched for the stand that he had purchased the magazine from. On the way, he had received a variety of reactions from the villagers. Some villagers looked at him with disdain. In Konoha, that would always be true. But in Naruto's childhood, this faction of the villagers was a large majority. Now, they were a small minority.

Others gave him only a glance before ignoring him all together. Still others looked at him in varying expressions of interest. Some interested in his ninja apparel, others in his twin swords, others in his shocking blonde hair, and others apparently interested in having his children. What had begun has a stroll down the street had become a mad scramble to avoid a tidal wave of girls of all ages chasing the unfortunate blonde.

Naruto was sprinting down the street, villagers throwing themselves against the walls in order to prevent themselves from getting trampled. Glancing behind him, he started sweating. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger every second. This would not do. Ducking into the nearest store, Naruto weaved his way in and out of people, clothes racks, and adjacent buildings until he got enough cover to throw a quick henge over himself.

Emerging from the clothes racks as a very, very busty blonde in the same clothes, a tight black shirt, which clung to her breasts, leaving much of her midsection showing, and a pair of baggy green cargo pants which hugged his curves in all the right places, Naruto calmly made his way to the stand he had seen earlier during his chase.

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Naruto ran down the streets, tears leaking from his eyes and streaming behind him.

"THIS IS JUST WRONG!" he screamed, turning a corner, his…assets jiggling as he made sudden movements. This only served to make the pursuers even more crazed as they chased him with an unholy fervor that Naruto feared with all his being.

Men of all ages were chasing Naruto, still in his beautiful blonde form. Looking behind him, he was horrified to see Inuzuka Kiba as one of the pursuers.

"OOOOOH MYYYYY YGOOOOOOOOD!"

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A merchant looked up to see an old man, silvery grey hair flowing down around his face. Speaking of which, was as ugly as Orochimaru's ass. Mentally cringing at the horrifically ugly man, he managed to squeak, "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes…I was wondering the authors and editors are of that magazine there. It wasn't on this week's edition."

"Oh, the Inquirer? Ha, well, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that."

"Some sort of confidentiality? What if I…" Naruto laid a sizeable sum of money down on the cart. "Sweeten the pot?"

"Uh, sir, I'm sorry…"

Naruto doubled the amount on the table. He had gotten quite wealthy on his training mission with Jiraiya, as the old sennin provided for all of his needs. His only problem was hiding precious Gama-chan from the pervert.

"Sir…I can't tell you because I don't know…No one does."

Naruto's eyes widened. So the author had covered his tracks. Well, that just made the chase that much more interesting.

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Walking the streets of Konoha once more, Naruto found himself utterly lost. He had no idea how he could find the culprits. The magazine had no scent, no chakra residue, and no fingerprints. So he had decided to just stroll around and wait for inspiration to hit him. Walking past a particularly large rock, Naruto froze, his hands automatically wandering down to his weapons pouch.

An explosion rocked the relatively uninhabited intersection, throwing Naruto off his feet. Hurling a couple of kunai behind him at the source of the explosion, Naruto rolled quickly and got back up onto his feet, two more kunai in his hands. As the smoke cleared, his jaw dropped.

"Hey bro."

"K-Konohamaru?" Naruto gasped in disbelief. The boy he had been a role model to as a young genin had grown into a full fledged ninja. Standing there spinning Naruto's two kunai he had thrown into the explosion on his fingers, Konohamaru stood very relaxed. He had grown from the small boy that Naruto remembered, now even taller than Naruto, though not quite as broad. His trademark scarf remained, perhaps the only reason why Naruto was able to recognize him. To top it all off, he was wearing the trademark jounin flak jacket. "Is it really you?" Naruto lowered his kunai and took a step forward before he felt himself plummeting to the ground.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no jutsu!" came twin voices from below him. Naruto was trapped in the earth up to his neck, and could only look up in amazement. Standing before him was the trio that would pester him all day. The trio that would hide inside ridiculous disguises. But now…now they had grown up. It gave Naruto a sense of satisfaction that he had somehow helped these ninja develop. He had had a hand in the growth of these three jounin. Yes, both Udon and Moegi both donned the customary flak jacket that accompanied jounin rank.

"Haha! We got you good bro!" laughed Konohamaru, bending down to laugh in Naruto's face. Naruto scowled, muttering under his breath.

"Eh? What's that you're saying?" Konohamaru asked. "Perhaps it's 'You're just too good Konohamaru, have mercy'?"

Naruto looked up into Konohamaru's eyes. "No, I said 'Bunshin Daibakuha'."

Before any of the three could respond, the earth before them erupted into a fiery ball of destruction. After the explosion had subsided, a lone figure dropped onto the street, surveying the damage. Three figures were stirring in the rubble, all of them black with soot and smoke.

"(Cough Cough) Yo bro…(Cough) you didn't have to go that far…"

Naruto only smirked. "Konohamaru, I only have one setting, 100 percent."

Konohamaru only smirked, brushing off the dust and pebbles off of himself before going around to each of his teammates and checking them over for damage. Poor Udon had broken a finger, but he was able to fix it himself with a quick medical jutsu.

It was then that Naruto had an idea. "Hey, guys, any of you know who writes the Konoha Inquirer?"

Konohamaru looked surprised. "The Inquirer? Why are you looking for them? They're a pretty tough bunch to get a hold of."

Naruto made a face. "Yeah, that much I've gathered. Do you guys know who or where they are?"

Konohamaru looked thoughtful before answering. "Well, we know a little…but that information's top secret."

"Top secret? How can the authors of a simple magazine be top secret? C'mon Konohamaru, for old times sake, can you help me out?"

"Well…on one condition."

Naruto's eyes lit up. Finally, his injustice would be…well, brought to justice. "And that condition is…"

"Fight us," Konohamaru stated, crossing his arms as his teammates flanked his sides. "Win, and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Always wanting to prove himself. That was Konohamaru for you. "Ok. Where?" asked Naruto, looking around at the cramped and crowded street he was in.

"Right here!" shouted Konohamaru as he leapt at Naruto, forcing Naruto's attention back onto the young jounin. Naruto's hands instinctively grabbed Konohamaru's wrists, locking his movements in a vice like grip. Rolling backwards, Naruto then proceeded to throw Konohamaru backwards, into a wall. Jumping back up, Naruto saw Moegi and Udon coming on opposite sides of him on the fringes of his peripheral vision. Jumping straight up into the air, Naruto successfully dodged their combination attack, but did not expect a second part to their team barrage. Apparently, Konohamaru had recovered much faster than Naruto expected and tackled Naruto in the back as he was suspended in the air. Falling to the ground at high speeds, Naruto twisted his body in Konohamaru's tight grip so that he was face to face with the young man.

"This is going to hurt both of us you know!" he yelled, as he began to brace for impact.

Konohamaru only grinned in response. "A lot more than you think. Payback time! Bunshin Daibakuha!" Many villagers looked up in surprise as a resounding boom echoed throughout the streets. Some saw a black figure streaking through the air, a thin plume of smoke trailing him through the sky.

Naruto landed harshly in the middle of a training area, much to his satisfaction. He had not liked fighting in the crowded streets. Too many people were in danger there. Now he could use some of his more destructive techniques. Rubbing his back, Naruto waited for his three opponents to arrive. He kept his eyes moving, watching north, south, east and west, but to no avail. It seemed like the three had just given up. Sniffing the air with his acute senses, Naruto could tell that they were nearby…but where? He had already checked all the directions they could come from…

Looking up, Naruto's eyes became as wide as saucers. He dove forward, dodging Moegi's aerial assault by mere centimeters, her fist impacting into the earth that he had been occupying milliseconds ago. Naruto craned his neck so he could get a glimpse of the aftermath of the attack and was shocked at the complete devastation caused by her punch. The ground looked like Tsunade herself had used her legendary strength to destroy the earth.

Taking his attention off of Moegi, Naruto looked forward to see Konohamaru making seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Naruto again was forced to dive off to the side to avoid the large fireball. This, however, played right into Udon's hands. Naruto barely had time to stand before the next attack was called out. "Kage Shuriken no jutsu!"

Naruto cursed as he again dodged the small, but lethal stars. After the barrage had ended, Naruto found himself surrounded by all three of his assailants. Naruto cursed again as he noticed they were all making the same seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" came the unified cry. Instinctively, Naruto's hand gripped the hilt that protruded from his left shoulder. "Fumetsu: Great Earth Defense," he calmly stated, as his hand maintained contact with the handle of Fumetsu.

As the three grand fireballs collided between them, Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi had to leap back to avoid the fiery explosion that rocked the training field. After the fire died down, the three were shocked to find an enormous earthen dome where Naruto used to be. What was even more amazing was the fact that it hadn't even been scratched.

"Moegi…" Konohamaru said, nodding to the girl to his right. Moegi nodded back to him and pulled her fist back. She then threw it forward with all the strength she could muster, shaking the very earth they stood on. But to no avail, as the dome remained standing and unscathed. Udon began to rub his chin, thinking very hard.

"It seems as if this is Naruto-san's ultimate defense. I doubt we will be able to penetrate it with pure force. I suggest we use a lighting jutsu to pierce it…but none of us know any so I must admit…we're royally screwed."

"That's right you are! Sabaku Kyu!" Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon were suddenly trapped up to their necks in sand, as Naruto walked calmly towards them, his open hand stretched towards them. "Tell me what you know Konohamaru."

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Konohamaru's face as he faced his idol. "Alright Naruto, here it is. The authors of the Konoha Inquirer? That's us."

Naruto gaped at the three, all of whom were smiling nervously. "Y-you? You took pictures of me and Ten-ten? You are the ones who are spying on all of our love lives?"

Moegi began to sweat a little more. "Heh…Yeah…sorry Naruto-neechan…we didn't think you'd mind so much…"

Naruto was conflicted. He wanted revenge on the authors…but the authors were these three…his own creations. Certainly he couldn't punish them! Naruto sighed, lowering his hand as the sand fell from their bodies. There was nothing he could do now. As the three began edging away, Naruto looked up at them one last time. "Neh, Moegi."

Moegi froze as the two male members of her squad continued to shuffle away. "Yes Naruto?"

Naruto broke out into a huge grin. "You really think I'm as hot as Sasuke?"

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Sakura was about as different as Kakashi in every way. First off, and most obviously, she was a GIRL. She had pink hair, he had silver. He was tall, she was average height. He was a combat/assassination specialist, she was a medical specialist. He was a master in ninjutsu where she was a master in taijutsu. He was always late, and she was always on time, if not early. But there was one element that they were strangely alike. They both had open obsessions with a certain orange book.

Sakura was currently sitting propped against a tree, reading said book when Sasuke walked by. He glanced at her, and fought the impulse to just ignore her and leave. Instead, he walked straight up to her, sitting down next to her. "Icha Icha Paradise: Island of Lust?"

Sakura, so engrossed with her book, hadn't been paying attention to the world around her. Snapping the book shut and sliding it back into her trusty front pocket on her jounin jacket, Sakura turned to face Sasuke, fake smile attempting to hide the blush that had invaded her cheeks. "What was that Sasuke?"

"What was that you were reading Sakura?"

"Oh that? Um…nothing Sasuke-kun! It was just…" However, she was silenced by a finger to her lips. Sasuke gazed out at the open field that they were facing.

"Here," he said abruptly, standing up as he handed her a small package. He disappeared in a whirl of leaves, leaving Sakura sitting alone, confused, and embarrassed, holding a small package. She sat in silence for a few moments, reflecting on what had just happened. Sasuke had just found out she was a pervert. Fear that he would find this fact out was the only reason she had hidden the fact that she enjoyed Jiraiya-sama's books to the world. And now…now that was all for naught. He knew and she had just wasted the only chance she may have had with him.

Looking down at the small package, she inspected the soft cloth that covered it, as well as the carefully tied string bow. She hesitantly opened the package and pulled out the contents. Her eyes flew open, as she grabbed the note that accompanied the strange gift.

'_I bought an extra copy, and I hope that you enjoy this issue as much as I did.'_

Sakura gently picked up the small, orange book. Icha Icha Makeout Tactics. It wasn't in stores yet. Hell, Sakura had been awaiting the publish date for months, and now…

Sakura opened the book, flipping to the first page as a light from heaven engulfed her and a chorus from an unseen choir sang.

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"Deidara…Sasori…you know what to do," said the mysterious leader of the Akatsuki, always shrouded in shadow.

Deidara nodded once. "Mm. Capture the Ichibi jinchuuriki. We won't fail you. Come on Sasori-dono."

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Seriously, sorry for the long update…Review and I might get the next one out much faster… And don't forget to check out my one-shot!


	17. Chapter 16: Rescue Gaara Part 1

Man. Reviews have been steadily declining. Sad. Pout Pout, cry cry, w/e w/e. Just review guys.

Chapter 16

"Naruto?"

The soft voice awoke Naruto out of his daydream, bringing his attention back to the real world. He looked down at the concerned face of Tenten. "What was that Tenten?"

"I said, 'Sakura and Sasuke really make a good couple, don't you think?'" Tenten repeated, a little irritation evident in her voice.

"Oh, yeah, sure Tenten…" Naruto looked back up into the sky, gazing at the clouds lazily drifting across the blue sky. He and his girlfriend had found this spot after their double date with Sasuke and Sakura. They were sprawled out in the middle of a grassy clearing, Tenten resting her head on Naruto's stomach. She too looked up at the sky, contemplating her new boyfriend's behavior, allowing the peacefulness and silence to return.

"Is something the wrong Naruto?"

"I just…have a bad feeling…"

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"Sabaku Kyu!"

"Haha! You'll have to do better than that jinchuuriki, yeah!"

Gaara narrowed his eyes, sending yet another massive claw of sand at the blonde Akatsuki member. The claw sailed by the twisting, agile clay bird, which began to fly straight at Gaara's sand sphere that was protecting him.

"Let me show you my art! Isn't it beautiful?" he yelled maniacally, throwing two small figures at Gaara. Gaara swept one of his arms in front of him, controlling a large arm of sand to intercept the two figures. As they connected, a loud explosion fractured the hardened sand, separating some of the claw from the rest of the sand. For the umpteenth time during the battle, Gaara narrowed his eyes. This would not be an easy fight.

(A/N: This part is sticking to canon. There's no reason why it would change, since Naruto never really affected the Sand much.)

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One Day Later

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade whipped her head around to face the new arrival. He was a messenger, out of breath, holding a small scroll.

"Yes?" she asked, signaling for Sakura to stop the exercise she had been working on.

The man was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "I have a message from the Sand Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade strode over quickly, taking the scroll from the messenger's hand, waving him off. The man quickly left the office, leaving Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura alone in the office. Tsunade quickly opened the scroll, and scanned the message. Her eyes flew open and she quickly reread it, this time paying close attention to every decoded word on the page. Sakura looked at her sensei curiously.

"What is it Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade's hand trembled, before she slammed the scroll down onto the desk, storming out of the office as if she didn't even hear her young apprentice. Sakura and Shizune watched her leave in shock before going over to the scroll which had apparently had an incredible importance.

Shizune read it quickly before taking a step back. Sakura, who did not know the code that Konoha's decoders used, could not read the message, so she looked at Shizune questioningly.

"What is it Shizune-sempai?"

"It's a message from Suna…the Kazekage has been captured!"

Sakura's eyes widened before she flew out the twin oak doors seeking out Tsunade.

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Naruto lay on the grass, the subtle weight of Tenten's head resting on his stomach was a soothing comfort to his mind. Tenten had a way of calming his mind and putting him at ease. They were in the same position as yesterday, lying down in the grassy clearing after lunch together.

Tenten sighed, snuggling her head into Naruto's abs, grinning when Naruto made a comment about throwing up all over her. Regardless of how much she enjoyed him joking with her, she still playfully punched him, telling him not to make such vulgar jokes. Naruto smiled down at her, and then returned his attention back onto the clouds.

However, a shadow soon fell upon his face, distracting him from his peace and quiet. Naruto and Tenten looked up in confusion, only to find a single ANBU standing before them.

"Uh…hi," Naruto said cautiously.

The ANBU only looked at him in silence, before handing him a small scroll and disappearing.

Naruto looked quizzically at his girlfriend who looked just as confused as him. Shrugging, Naruto broke the seal on the scroll before reading the contents.

"What is it?" asked Tenten, peering over his shoulder.

"A summons…Sorry babe, I gotta go," Naruto said, kissing Tenten on the side of the cheek before he ran off towards the Hokage's building.

Tenten sighed, gently touching the side of her face that Naruto had kissed before falling onto the ground, eyes closed dreamily and smile plastered on her face.

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Naruto arrived at the office just in time, as when he had arrived at the door, Shikamaru was in the process of entering as well.

Naruto jogged at a brisk pace until he was next to Shikamaru. "Any idea what this is about?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm sure it's something troublesome…"

Naruto grinned. "Sometimes troublesome is fun!"

Shikamaru smiled back. "Sometimes…" he conceded.

The both entered the office at the same time, spotting Kiba, Shino, Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, and Hinata. They joined the six other Kousou members on one side of the room, coming to attention as Tsunade entered the room.

Tsunade began speaking the second she entered the room, walking quickly to her desk. "Suna has been attacked. The Kazekage has been defeated and captured. We believe Akatsuki is behind this. This mission is ranked as an A class rescue mission. You eight will go to Suna and track the Akatsuki from there. Go."

As soon as the last word had left her mouth, the eight Kousou members disappeared from her office in flashes of speed.

Tsunade sat at her desk, her chin resting on the back of her entwined fingers. _The first test to see Kousou in action…don't fail._

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The eight members arrived at the gate simultaneously, stopping only to receive orders from their acting commander, Shikamaru. The strategist was always considered the leader, even when not officially put into command, with maybe the exception of Neji, who was almost as much of a strategist as Shikamaru with the added benefit of being a fighter. Which is why he was made ANBU captain while he was part of the "Eleven" before being replaced after being put into the special Kousou team.

"Kiba will be in front, followed by Sasuke, Ino, Hinata, Myself, Sakura, Naruto, and then Shino. Sasuke will act as frontal support, Ino and Hinata as our flanks, and Naruto as our rear. Sakura will stay in the middle so she can react to injuries and I will stay in the middle so that I can call out orders more easily. Let's go. We won't stop until we reach Suna."

And then they were off. Naruto knew it was supposed to be a three day trip to Suna, but he knew if they actually hurried, they could make it in two. And running non-stop could be arranged, as soldier pills allowed them to forgo sleeping and even eating to a certain extent. And so they ran. And ran. And ran.

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Baki dropped down from the ceiling, landing in a kneel with one hand planted on the ground. "Chiyo-sama."

Chiyo sat there, silent, and still. Ebizo, her brother, began to shout. "Oy! Old Lady! You haven't died on us yet, have you? Are you still alive? Eh? Chiyo?"

Chiyo remained in her still form, not moving an inch, her chin touching her chest in an almost solemn position. Baki looked up from his bow, worried for the elder's health.

Suddenly, Chiyo leapt up, her eyes wide and began to scream. "AHAHA! I'm not dead yet! I've still got a little energy left in these bones! Fooled ya!"

Her brother only sweat dropped a little, commenting, "Chiyo…you really shouldn't joke about these kinds of things…"

Baki was relieved that the elder was still in good health, but was also in quite a hurry. "Chiyo-sama. The Kazekage has been captured, and his brother is in critical condition."

Chiyo spat to the side. "So the demon has finally been disposed of. Find a new Kazekage, that's how things are. Things grow old, and new things replace the old ones. As for his brother, I'm sure that your medics can properly take care of him."

"Chiyo-sama, he's been poisoned. We can't find an antidote."

"And you believe I can?"

"Chiyo-sama…Kankuro says that the person who poisoned him…was Sasori."

Chiyo's eyes widened in shock, as she heard the one name that could spur her into action. "Sasori?" she whispered to herself.

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To say that Chiyo was frustrated would be a huge understatement. She herself was a poison master, but the poison that Sasori had used seemed to be impossible to antidote. The only person who could hope to remove the poison would be Tsunade, but Chiyo knew the impossibility of Tsunade herself coming to Suna to heal a single boy.

Chiyo sighed, testing another antidote on the special scroll she had created, but for the umpteenth time, the antidote was negative. She had been working day and night to create a working antidote and it seemed like she was getting farther and farther away from success. Baki has hopeful that one of the Konoha nins would be able to do something, but the odds of that were slim to none. Chiyo wouldn't be surprised if all they sent was a single genin team, sent only as a formality. If Chiyo was one thing, she was a solitary person. She believed that Suna should have stayed solitary in world affairs and that their alliance with the Leaf was a mistake. Alliances were hindrances and eventually, all allies would stab you in the back. And Konoha would be no different.

Chiyo's thoughts were interrupted by a messenger bursting into the room.

"Baki-sama! The Konoha team has arrived!"

Baki's head whipped around, surprise evident in his voice. "But we only sent that message out a day ago!" As the words left his mouth, the Konoha team suddenly appeared in the room. Sakura immediately ran forward to the patient, her hands already glowing with green chakra.

Baki glanced over at the two medic nins working on Kankuro and decided he would greet the Konoha team before he checked on Kankuro. He walked over to the seven remaining members of the Konoha team, bowing deeply in front of them.

"Suna would like to offer their sincerest gratitude for your aid in this dark time. Allow me to brief you on the situation." Each of the shinobi nodded silently, and they followed Baki out into the waiting room. Baki was slightly unnerved by the silence. He himself had been expecting a genin team, but instead, Konoha had sent eight shinobi. In addition, Baki could feel the chakra of the team, as they did nothing to hide it in the presence of allies. These shinobi were jounin level. Never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that Konoha would react in such a way to Suna's call for aid. For they themselves had sent only a genin team when Konoha had asked for help with their rogue ninja situation. Granted, the genin team was the strongest in the village, but it was still a single genin team, without even a jounin sensei to guide them.

"The Kazekage has been kidnapped. Two ninja entered the village yesterday, destroying our defenses and defeating Gaara. Both have been identified. Deidara, previously of the Rock, and Sasori, previously of the Sand. I shouldn't have to remind you that these are formidable opponents and are S-class missing nin. They should NOT be underestimated. We believe that their goal is to extract the Ichibi from Gaara, something that will take approximately three days. Please. Save Gaara. We cannot provide you with any assistance, as with the absence of the Kazekage, we must focus on our border defenses. Do you understand?"

Shikamaru stepped forward. "Crystal clear sir. We'll do our best."

Baki nodded and bowed once more, turning to go back and check on Kankuro, only to see the eighth member of the Konoha team exiting the room.

Baki looked at her sadly. "I appreciate you trying to save him, but not even Chiyo-sama could create an antidote."

Sakura returned to her team. "Baki-sama, I believe you misunderstand me. I haven't given up on him. I've already finished healing him."

Baki gaped, turned around and ran into the room, only to see Kankuro sitting up gingerly, med nins flocking around him, poking and prodding him to make sure he was healthy.

Baki turned around to thank the pink haired kunoichi, only to find that the team had already left on their mission.

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Said team was speeding through the desert, Kiba's nose able to keep the team on track. Eventually, they came to the border of Suna, exiting the desert and entering a forest, something they were all much more accustomed to. Still rocketing through the dense vegetation, they all scattered as a monstrous fireball exploded upon the earth where they had just been standing.

Shikamaru whispered commands into his wireless communicator and the eight man team divided up into four man teams, each taking on one of the two unseen adversaries. As the two men made themselves known, each and every Kousou member silently prepared themselves for the battle of their lives. Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and Hinata faced off against Itachi while Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino faced Kisame.

Sasuke's eyes flashed over to Itachi, his body twitching involuntarily. However, Shikamaru was constantly whispering over the earpieces, telling Sasuke to stay focused and for each team to divide even further so that the two missing nin could not help each other. Of course, this made helping each other harder for their own team, but that could not be helped. As Shikamaru's team dashed off to the north, Sasuke's team ran south, luring their opponents further from each other. After a minute of running, Shikamaru commanded them to stop…and fight.

Naruto turned to see Itachi, standing there as passively as ever. "Don't look into his eyes," muttered Shikamaru. The rest of the team nodded as they fixed their eyes on Itachi's feet.

Naruto decided he would make the first move. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

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"Ah, the last Uchiha. What a pleasant surprise. Itachi won't be happy that I killed you, but he'll get over it," said Kisame, smirking. Sasuke trembled in rage, stopping only when Sakura put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her face, waving off her concern. He was focused. And he would stay focused.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan as Sakura pulled her leather gloves a little tighter as she prepared to execute their attack. She looked over at her three teammates who gave her a slight nod. She nodded back, rearing her fist back and rocking the area with an earth shaking punch.

A long fissure ran along the earth, headed straight at Kisame. Kisame only smirked, dashing off to the side, watching in amusement as the ground where he had been standing moments ago erupted with enormous power. As he dodged Sakura's attack, he quickly made seals. "Suiton: Bakusui Shoha!" Water erupted from his mouth, quickly flooding the entire battle area, forcing the four Kousou nin to fight on his terrain of choice. The four nin regrouped, standing on top of the water by focusing their chakra to the soles of their feet, a technique so practiced that it was done subconsciously.

Sasuke glared down into the water, his Sharingan blazing a fiery red. Sensing the slightest big of motion, he yelled out his warning.

"He's coming!"

The four teammates jumped aside simultaneously as the water below them exploded, Kisame's sword Samehada thrusting out of the water in a giant stab. Kisame rose out of the water calmly, Samehada resting back onto his shoulder.

"Ehhhhh, you Konoha nin sure are a pesky bunch, aren't you?" Kisame smirked, studying his opponents. There was Itachi's little brother. He might pose a bit of a threat…anyone with the Sharingan was a viable concern. Then there was that pink haired one. She had the same monstrous strength that the legendary sannin Tsunade had…she could be a problem…especially if she had the same healing skills that Tsunade had. And then there was an Aburame. They were a well known clan, almost as dangerous as one of the major clans, like the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. _Wait…wasn't there four?_

"Gatsuga!" Kiba cried, as he threw himself at Itachi once more. Kisame calmly dodged both spinning tornados, only to find that he had been maneuvered into the next attack.

"Doton: Great Earth Spike," muttered Shino, throwing his palms onto the ground. Kisame jumped away yet again, dodging a sharpened pillar of earth that emerged from the water below him. However, he was assaulted yet again by the second of the team before he could muster any kind of offense. In short, Kisame was annoyed. These two shinobi kept their attacks coming, flowing together, forcing him into positions where a lesser shinobi would be long dead. But Kisame was elite.

"Raiton: Gian!" Kisame looked behind him, twisting midair as he dodged two large lightning blasts that came from Kiba's hands. "Dammit!" yelled Kiba as he prepared his next attack.

"Ripping Wind!" Kiba roared, bringing his hands down quickly in a feral slashing motion. Kisame easily jumped away from the twin blades of wind, projected from Kiba's claws. As the blades passed Kisame, they impacted into several trees behind him, easily slicing them into pieces. Kiba growled in impatience and anger that in ten minutes of fighting, they had yet to land a single blow on the Mist missing nin.

Kisame smirked at the Inuzuka and waved jauntily as he sank into the water, all the while making seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu!"

Once Kisame was fully submersed in the water, a great explosion of water disrupted the moment of peace that the Kousou members had enjoyed. Quickly dodging the massive explosion of water, the Kousou members discovered that they had unwittingly separated in their hurry to escape the deadly water technique. This was a small detail that Kisame took care to exploit.

"Mizu Bunshin!" Many clones of Kisame rose out of the water, keeping the Kousou separated. Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino fought wave after wave of clones, but there were so many that eventually, they were each caught in a clone's water prison. After each was properly subdued, the real Kisame made himself known. Rising steadily and calmly out of the water, Kisame slowly made his way over to Sasuke.

"Hahaha…I have the most chakra out of any of the other Akatsuki. I could keep this up for days!"

Sasuke glared, his Sharingan forming a frightening display. "You will die. And then my brother will die."

Kisame rested his arm on Samehada, lowering his head down to Sasuke's level. "Oh yeah? It doesn't look like you're in any position to make idle threats." Kisame then straightened out, lifted Samehada, and swung mightily, separating Sasuke's head from his shoulders. Only for Sasuke to burst apart into many flapping blackbirds. Kisame gasped, looking behind him to see Sasuke dashing towards him, Raikiri in hand. As Sasuke neared, Kisame's shocked expression became a sneer, as he brought Samehada up to block the attack. Sasuke thrust the deadly assassination attack forward, only for Kisame to block the attack easily. Sasuke's face was contorted into a look of surprise as his trump card was easily taken care of by the S-class missing nin. Kisame snorted as he explained to the young Uchiha. "Samehada eats your chakra, so any chakra attack is useless against me. That was tasty."

Sasuke's shocked face became one of anger. Then, it transformed into a smile. Once again, Sasuke erupted into a mass of blackbirds, each flying away into the sky. Kisame glanced around him, discovering that each and every nin had escaped. Eyes narrowing, Kisame suddenly had a case of déjà vu. He remembered one day, talking with Itachi. They were discussing ninjutsu vs. genjutsu, and Itachi was convinced that his genjutsu was so realistic that he could make his ravens shit all over Kisame. Only now did Kisame understand what he had been talking about.

Bringing his hands together in a simple chakra molding seal, Kisame stopped the flow of chakra in his body for a second. "Kai!"

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"Kagemane no jutsu!" Shikamaru muttered, his shadow dashing forward at Itachi. Itachi glanced down at the shadow before leaping high into the air.

As Itachi was in the air, two Naruto's appeared on either side of him, each swinging Hirameki in a horizontal slash, only to be stopped on both sides with kunai in each of Itachi's hands. After pushing the two swords away slightly, Itachi shifted his grip on the kunai and threw them with deadly accuracy into the Narutos' faces, dispelling the shadow clones.

Naruto stood beside Shikamaru, a small grin appearing on his face. Shikamaru noticed this, and asked him about it.

Naruto shrugged. "The more shadow clones I send at him that he destroys, the better I get to know his fighting style. Eventually, I'll know his technique inside and out."

Shikamaru nodded. "But that could take days…"

"Yeah…but at least it's a backup plan!"

Shikamaru sighed. The thought of having Naruto fight Itachi for days was not a pleasant one. Though Shikamaru supposed Naruto could, with his unnatural stamina. Still, they needed a plan, not just blindly throwing attacks around.

Ino appeared behind the tall Akatsuki, her blade flashing forward, seeking out his Itachi's flesh. Instinct alone kept his head on his shoulders, but Ino still was able to graze a moderately deep cut in his back. Itachi stumbled forward, his hand reaching for the injury. Looking up at her with his Sharingan, he vowed to himself to be more careful.

Ino continued her assault, her katana singing through the air, flashes of silver the only thing visible to the naked eye. Still, Itachi was able to dodge with such and skill and precision that her swordplay was just that. Harmless play. That is, until a second Kousou joined the fray.

Ino slashed in a vertical strike, throwing all the force she could muster into the blow. Itachi calmly jumped back, simultaneously pulling out a kunai for a counter attack. He smirked at her, only to find that Ino's face also held a confident smile. Sensing a presence behind him, Itachi instinctively dove to the side, narrowly dodging Hinata's strike from behind. What was meant to maim him instead only cut the back of Kisame's right thigh. It slowed him, yes, but not to the extent that Hinata had planned. As Itachi regained his composure after Hinata's last attack, he glared at the duo that had attacked him. The two kunoichi continued their assault, not allowing Itachi any breathing room. Counter attacking was impossible, as every time one of the kunoichi had an opening, the other covered for them. Each time one of them attacked the other defended. Their attacks wove together, together creating a fearsome onslaught that Itachi could not stop.

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Kisame snapped out of the genjutsu only to find that the Aburame had used his bugs to eat through the chakra holding his technique together. He had then proceeded to free the rest of his allies, finishing moments before Kisame broke the genjutsu.

Kisame smirked. "So you're as good with genjutsu as Itachi, eh Sasuke? You're really following in his footsteps," he taunted.

Sasuke glowered in Kisame's direction. Kisame waved cheerily as he once again sank into the water. "Suiton: Goshokuzame!" Five sharks made of chakra and water began to swim around in the makeshift lake that Kisame had created.

"On my mark," whispered Sasuke into his communicator. "Go." As a unit, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino jumped into the air as Sasuke clapped his hands together and formed seals.

"Raiton: Death from the Heavens!" he yelled, as dark clouds formed in the sky. Then, all at once, lightning bolts rained down from the sky, striking the water a hundred times over.

As the rest of the team landed, the clouds parted, allowing the sun to once again shine on the lake that they stood on.

"Did that do it?" asked Sakura, uncertainty evident in her voice.

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"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

Naruto grabbed Shikamaru and hauled him out of the tree they had been hiding in. Seconds later, a giant fireball burned it to ash. Itachi calmly landed in the middle of the clearing. In the surrounding forest, hundreds of Naruto's prepared their assault. They each threw a handful of shuriken at Itachi.

Itachi's eyes twitched, seeing the hundreds of flying projectiles on all sides of him. Preparing to dodge, he was stopped mid jump by a reverberating shout from all directions.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" The once "difficult to dodge" attack became the "impossible to dodge" attack as Itachi threw his palms together forming seals at an alarming rate.

"Suijinheki no jutsu!" A barrier of swirling water surrounded Itachi, blocking every single one of Naruto's shuriken. The blocked shuriken all imbedded themselves around the swirling dome of water, but what Itachi didn't notice with all the flying blades approaching him was two trench knives imbedding themselves into the ground behind him along with the various shuriken. Shikamaru silently thanked Chouji for making swords for him. Well, not really swords, but trench knives, like the ones that Asuma used.

Itachi tried to move, but found it impossible for some reason. Then, against his own will, he turned his head and looked behind him, seeing two trench knives imbedded in the earth behind him. Or more specifically, his shadow. He then turned back forward, seeing an alarming sight.

"Odama Rasengan!"

Naruto plowed his glowing sphere straight into the immobilized torso of Uchiha Itachi, obliterating his insides and blasting his body into a tree on the opposite side of the clearing where he lay motionless.

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Kisame was hurt, but not done. The lightning jutsu that the Uchiha had used had certainly hurt, but Kisame was a stamina freak, just like Naruto. He plowed out from under the water, catching Sakura flatfooted.

"Suiton: Water Shark Missile!" The large missile of water shaped like a ferocious shark rocketed towards Sakura, who turned her head just in time to see that the jutsu was far to close and far too fast to dodge. Bracing herself for impact, Sakura felt just that, but not from her rear as she was expecting. Instead, she felt a strong push from her side, pushing her small body out of the way of the attack. Looking back, she saw Sasuke looking at her with concern before his face instead contorted into a mask of pain as the shark collided with his torso, throwing him back into a tree trunk, where he lie unconscious.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Silly boy. Sacrificing himself for you? That was dumb. Now without the Uchiha, you have no chance." Sakura ran over to Sasuke, her hands glowing green in a medical inspection technique. Running her healing hands over his body, she saw that he was not seriously injured, just unconscious from the strong blow. He would be alright.

As Sakura let out a sigh of relief, she looked up at the S-class missing nin once more. As she began to rise, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Sakura saw Kiba, smiling down on her.

"I'll take care of it Sakura. You stay with Sasuke." Sakura nodded dimly, in awe of the sheer confidence in Kiba's voice. "Oy! Shark bastard! Here I come!"

Kisame sneered. "You're coming? By yourself? Heh, and here I thought all you were good at was teamwork with bug boy over there."

Kiba laughed eerily, somewhat spooking Kisame, who began to slowly crouch into his ready position. He then pulled out Samehada in response to Kiba pulling out his own katana.

"Your sword is called Samehada, right? It eats chakra…just like a shark. Fitting. Meet my sword! S**hugotenshi** (Guardian Angel)!"

"Hah! Come then boy, and test the mettle of the shark within me!"

"As you wish," Kiba responded calmly. He began to channel chakra around his body, allowing it to swirl wildly like a tornado. This wild chakra slowly began to converge onto one spot, the hilt of Shugotenshi. As the chakra began to travel up the blade, the appearance of Shugotenshi began to change as well. Where it once was a smooth blade, the blade changed to be more jagged and sharp spikes protruded out of the opposite side of the blade. Kiba looked up into Kisame's stunned eyes. "Shuurai (Lightning Strike)!"

Kiba flash stepped forward swung his blade mightily. Kisame raised his own blade to block, noticing that Kiba's sword was crackling with lightning chakra. As the two blades clashed, Kiba released every ounce of his lightning chakra in his blade all at once, creating an enormous glowing sphere, so bright that it pained the two onlookers to look at. And then, all at once, it was over.

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Naruto looked at Itachi's body warily. He gasped for air; he had put everything he had into that last shot. And it looked like it paid off. But suddenly, Itachi's body exploded in a small puff of smoke.

"Shit! Kage Bunshin!" Then, unknown to Naruto, a lone figure rose from the ground from behind him. A figure that proceeded to form seals, lifting his finger to his mouth.

"Naruto!" came the hurried cry. Naruto twisted, but not in time. Itachi smirked and released a flamethrower that Naruto could not dodge. Naruto threw his arms up in a weak defense, but he knew that that would do nothing. But he felt nothing. Yes, he felt the heat still in the air, but he did not feel the scorching sensation was stored into his memory banks. Opening up his eyes which he had clenched shut, he saw Ino, standing in front of him, her blade held horizontally before her, fire dancing and swirling around it.

"I see. A fire affinity," muttered Itachi.

Ino lifted her flaming sword into the air. "Hotaru (Firefly)! Show your light to me!" Ino's body began to charge up with chakra, wisps of it flying off her body. It traveled up into her katana, still covered in Itachi's fire jutsu. As her chakra enveloped her katana, it began to thicken and become less…solid. Instead of holding a sword of metal and wood, she now held a hilt with a blade made entirely of fire. "Okibi (Blazing Fire)!" she screamed, pointing her blade at Itachi and releasing a stream of fire that was over three times as powerful as Itachi's previous attack that she had absorbed.

Itachi muttered a curse and jumped into the air, the only place that was clear of the raging fire that the blonde girl had unleashed. However, as he was suspended in the air, he heard a small whisper from behind him.

"Toukan (Bitter Cold)." As he twisted in midair, he saw the Hyuuga behind him, her sword made completely out of ice. And then, before he could do anything, she calmly pierced his flesh with the blade of her icy sword, engulfing him in ice that sprouted from every part of his body, instantly killing him.

Hinata landed on the ground gracefully in a crouch. As she straightened her body out, Itachi's frozen form fell to the ground and exploded into tiny shards with a great crash.

Hinata slid her sword back into its sheath on her waist. Suddenly Naruto appeared in front of her, surprising her with his small burst of speed.

Looking into his face, Hinata found that she could not help but to get lost in those two deep cerulean orbs that he called eyes. She sighed dreamily, only to be broken out of her daze by a soft hand on her shoulder. She glanced down at it, then back up into Naruto's face.

"That was awesome Hinata! I owe you one!" he said as he smiled at her, melting her icy countenance. "What was that?"

"Hm? Oh, that was Toushou's second form…it was nothing."

Naruto laughed heartily. "Oh come on Hinata! Nothing? That was amazing! You could kick my ass with that!"

Hinata blushed slightly, but caught herself before it became a full fledged blush. She knew that he was dating Tenten. She could not let herself fall into the temptations of her body. However much her body wanted him.

"Probably," she said, a small smile covering her face as Naruto's jaw dropped.

"Hey! What was that!? A challenge!? You're on Hinata! Once we get back to Konoha we're sparring, got it?!"

Hinata giggled into her hand. "Got it Naruto."

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Sasuke's eyelids fluttered, before finally opening. He looked up at the pink haired angel that was looking down at him, concern deeply etched in her face.

"Hey Sakura…" he muttered a little deliriously. "Did I win?"

Sakura giggled. "Sure Sasuke, you won."

"Then how about a reward kiss?" he asked, smirking the whole way.

Sakura sighed. "You're a little out of it right now Sasuke…"

Sasuke gave her what he thought was a sultry look. "Well maybe that kiss will snap me out of it."

Sakura raised her chin slightly, as if thinking about it. "Nah, I've thought of a better way."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "And that way is?"

"Icha Icha Paradise 4!" she screamed, thrusting an open book into Sasuke's face, filling his vision with the one illustrated volume of their favorite book. Sasuke looked on for a full ten seconds before falling back into blissful unconsciousness.

Kiba stood behind them, marveling at the spectacle with the ever silent Shino.

"I don't think I'll ever understand them," he noted, Shino nodding in agreement.

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The eight Kousou regrouped a short while later, as Kiba picked up the trail once again. It had been two days so far, and they had estimated that it would take three in order to completely extract the Ichibi, and as a result, kill Gaara.

Naruto leapt forward, glaring at Sakura's back. _Hang on Gaara. We're coming._

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Well? Review now! By the way, I switched Ino and Hinata with Kiba and Shino after I finished this chapter, so there might be some mistakes and whatnot, but hopefully I caught all the mistakes. Seriously, review. Review's are down! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	18. Chapter 17: Rescue Gaara Part 2

So, a lot of you really want the NaruHina that I promised. But as I said earlier, you are gonna have to WAIT. This story WILL be NaruHina, it will NOT be NaruHarem or a threesome, it WILL be NaruHina and you guys will just have to be patient! Patience is a virtue.

Btw, yes, there is a large amount of Bleach influence in this fic now. Basically the swords are Bleach's "zanpakutos". So far, all we've seen is the released versions, not the "bankai", for those of you who are familiar with the terminology. Frankly, all I watch is the anime, so if there are other things going on in the Bleach universe now, I'm completely oblivious to them.

Chapter 17

"Hm. The pursuers have defeated your clones already," muttered the holographic form of the leader.

"Dammit! I can't believe we got beat so quickly!" Kisame yelled in outrage and shock. For a clone at half strength to be defeated so quickly and easily…the pursuers were a strong bunch.

Silence reigned again for a while in the massive stone room, as Gaara lay on his back, red chakra leaking out of his eyes and mouth. The chakra flowed from his body to the massive statue before him, around which the Akatsuki members were stationed.

"Deidara, Sasori. Take care of the pests when they get here. Do not hold back. Or we may have to go on another recruiting drive."

"Don't worry about it yeah! Me and Sasori-danna will show them what REAL art is!"

Sasori looked over at Deidara, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Deidara…don't lump my art in with that crap that you use that you call art. My art is worlds apart from yours."

"Ahhh, but Sasori-danna! My art is just as artistic as yours, if not more-so! It's a true testament to the fleeting…"

"Quiet. Both of you. Focus on the task at hand or the task that will soon be here. Zetsu, when will they be arriving?"

"They will be here within the next hour," came the simple reply.

"Deidara. Sasori. Go and meet them outside. We cannot have them disrupt our sealing process."

"Hai," they both replied simultaneously, moving from their previous positions and flickering away.

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The squad of eight Kousou had been running nonstop for the past two days and it was beginning to take its toll on their bodies. Everyone but Naruto was out of breath, and jumped at Shikamaru's order to take a break.

"Ok guys, take a break. We're thirty minutes away, so be ready to fight." As Shikamaru flopped down on his back to watch clouds, his vision was obstructed by something black and blonde.

"We're taking a break?! Why! Gaara is waiting for us! We have to go save him now!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto, we are about to go up against S-class missing nin. We have to be at full strength or we'll never be able to defeat them."

Naruto growled, his feral instincts taking over for a second before he realized the logic in Shikamaru's words. He sighed heavily and lay down next to Shikamaru. "Alright. Fine, but lets not waste too much time watching clouds."

Shikamaru smiled. "Waste time watching clouds? That's impossible."

After fifteen minutes, Shikamaru stood up lazily. "Alright, let's get going." And with that, they were off again.

Kiba was in the lead, as usual, his acute nose sniffing every trace of the Akatsuki. They were close. Really close. Hell, he could hear those bastards. Talking about art and how only their art was true art. Kiba smirked. "Hey guys…we're here."

The Kousou stopped on a cliff overlooking a deep ravine, where there was a massive boulder with a seal on it. But what was perhaps more attention grabbing was the fact that two Akatsuki were just sitting outside, waiting for the team to arrive.

"What a welcome party," muttered Ino, drawing her sword immediately. Hinata and Sasuke activated their bloodlines, and Shikamaru began muttering orders into his wireless communicator.

"Alright people. Same squads, I want us split up, same distance as before. Sasuke's group, I want you to take the blonde. We'll take Sasori."

"Hey, Sasori-dono. They're here."

"Already? Zetsu said it would take an hour…"

"Whatever whatever. Lets just kill them and finish up the sealing yeah?"

"Hm. I DO hate making people wait…"

"Hey, Konoha brats! We've got that jinchuuriki in this cave, and the only way in is through us!" yelled Deidara confidently, his thumb jabbing into his chest. All the while, he had his second hand deep into one of his bags of clay, silently sculpting his weapon of choice."

"Hey…I want the jinchuuriki yeah."

"Deidara…now is no time to get greedy. We all have a jinchuuriki assigned to us. And you already captured yours."

"Hm. Fine fine. I guess I'll take the Uchiha brat and his bunch."

As they were conversing, Naruto continued to get more and more angry. These two nin…they were talking as if Gaara's life wasn't on the line…as if they were merely gambling the life of a pawn. Well, Gaara was more than a pawn. He was more than a jinchuuriki. He was HIS friend!

"Hey! Bastards! Try this on for size! Ryusa Bakuryu (Quicksand in the Style of a Waterfall)!" As Naruto finished his hand seals, a giant wave of sand appeared on the horizon over the trees behind the Kousou team. Sasori smirked at the large scale attack while Deidara just took to the air with his large clay bird.

"Hey, follow me yeah!" he yelled over his shoulder, as Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba and Shino followed quickly behind, avoiding the sand wave that crashed onto the remaining combatants, covering the field in sand.

Naruto and his companions quickly rose to the surface of the sand. Naruto glanced around and didn't see Sasori, so he instead went through another set of hand seals.

"Sabaku Taiso (Desert Imperial Funeral)!" he yelled, slamming his palms down into the sand, compressing the sand beneath their feet. Anything caught beneath them was crushed instantaneously. Except for the one thing Naruto had been trying to crush, Sasori. His hard shell had protected him from the great pressure that had been created by Naruto's jutsu.

Sasori slowly rose to the surface of the sand, emerging with his deadly tail whipping around menacingly. Sand slowly sifted off of his smooth shell, and his eyes remained fixed on the four enemies in front of him.

"You…you defeated the clones of Itachi and Kisame…And in record time, may I add. Who are you?"

Shikamaru tilted his head slowly. "We are the Kousou," he drawled calmly. "And we are here to kill you…and save Gaara." Sasori's eyes narrowed. This young man's disposition…It pissed him off. Sasori hated to wait and hated equally making others wait. This black haired shinobi seemed to crawl in everything he did. And that was unacceptable.

"You…you will be the first to die," promised Sasori. Sasori brought his scorpion like tail up next to his face, poison visibly dripping off the tip. "I swear on this tail that I will kill you."

Naruto smirked and nudged Shikamaru. "Yo, Shika, I think you pissed him off."

Shikamaru sighed, his shoulders slumping. "This is way too troublesome…Let's try that maneuver we've been practicing."

"Which one?"

"Let's try…The pull I suppose…"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yosh! Let's do this! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Twenty clones popped into existence around the four Kousou members, completely obstructing Sasori's view of them. With a great battle cry, the clones ran towards Sasori, who stood stark still, as if waiting for something. As the clones neared, Sasori finally struck. His tail whipped out, swinging horizontally, eliminated a couple clones. The rest were able to jump to avoid the swipe, but they too were met with a second attack. Opening his mouth, Sasori began to shower the clones with a rain of needles, each one glistening in the sun with poison. Over half of the clones were dispelled with this attack, forcing the clones to scatter. A second tail swing eliminated four more clones suspended in the air and a small compartment in Sasori's shell opened to fire a few kunai, destroying the few that had survived.

Sasori looked back at the Kousou members, quickly noticing that one was missing. Checking the fringes of his peripheral vision, Sasori was annoyed to find that the blonde haired one had seemingly disappeared. Sasori's head then swiveled one-hundred and eighty degrees, searching his rear. As he began to swivel his head back towards the Kousou, he felt chakra flare above him.

Naruto fell towards the ground, Rasengan in hand, holding it near his right ear ready to plunge it down into Sasori's shell. Sasori jumped forward, dodging Naruto's diving attack, but by moving forward, he found himself in the range of Shikamaru's shadow.

The Pull was a simple technique that Naruto and Shikamaru had discussed. It was quite simple, yet destructively effective. It would start out with a distraction, either Naruto's shadow clones or a feint attack with Shikamaru's shadow. Then, Naruto would attack from behind, forcing the opponent towards Shikamaru, who would disable, and then…

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled, drilling the destructive orb into Sasori's hard shell.

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Flashback

"Well Naruto, let's move on to chakra control," Jiraiya said, stopping Naruto from his attempt at the Sabaku Sousou. Naruto obediently dropped his technique and hopped over to where his sensei stood.

"Ok, now usually at this time I would have you climb a tree or walk on water, but not only have you mastered those, but it's also impossible in the desert."

Naruto looked around, smirking at the sea of sand as far as the eye could see. "Ero-sennin, what do I do then?"

"Well, I have a few ideas, both of which I will eventually teach you. But for now, the chakra control exercise I want you to use is the Rasengan."

"Eh? That's not a chakra control exercise!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Can you do it with one hand yet?"

Naruto looked down, his golden locks covering his eyes as he halfheartedly kicked at the sand at his feet. "No."

"Well, that's chakra control. You see, you may think that the Rasengan is one of your most powerful attacks. Which it is. But the thing is Naruto, you haven't even begun to scratch the surface of its potential. The Rasengan is not only an incomplete jutsu, but it also is a jutsu that become more and more destructive as you add more and more chakra. But as you add more and more chakra into the technique, you have to have more and more chakra control. If you just pump a ton of chakra into it, it's just going to blow up in your face if you don't have the control it takes to maintain its shape, understand?"

Naruto tapped the side of his face thoughtfully. "So…I can make the Rasengan even more powerful by adding more chakra into it? But to make it more powerful, I also have to have better chakra control?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Right. And right now, you don't even have enough control to do the technique correctly. While using a clone to help you gives you the control you need to perform it, not only is that a liability in a fight, but it also shows that your control is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to pump up the chakra input."

Naruto scowled at this. "Well, what do I have to do to get that chakra control?"

"Practice. Keep forming the Rasengan, every day, and without a clone. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just keep doing it. Swirl the chakra around, and slowly amp up the power in the technique. This will force you to strain your chakra control, keeping the Rasengan in its form while the power increases. By the end of the month, I expect you to do it with one hand." Jiraiya lifted up his right hand, forming a Rasengan without even using his second hand to swirl or gather the chakra.

"Yosh! I'll get it in two weeks Jiraiya! You just watch!"

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Sasori's eyes widened in shock as Naruto's trump card exploded in a flash of destructive chakra, completely obliterating the puppet's shield and revealing the true Sasori.

The cloaked figure jumped out of the remnants of the puppet, and the four Kousou looked on in mild interest. A young boy, no older than 14, now stood before them.

"Impressive Naruto-kun. But now this battle get's more interesting." Sasori pulled out a scroll, forming rapid seals the whole time, before he was covered in a veil of smoke.

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Deidara checked over his shoulder to make sure his prey was still following. The occasional kunai whistled over his head, as Deidara maneuvered his clay mount with incredible ease. Finally, when they had reached a clearing, Deidara stopped and turned, awaiting the arrival of his opponents. Within seconds, the four appeared before him, Sasuke's sharingan still active, making Deidara shudder involuntarily. He remembered those eyes. Those demonic eyes. How could he forget? When the Akatsuki had come to him trying to recruit him, he had felt those eyes. He had experienced how powerful those eyes were. But never again. Today, he would redeem himself for what had happened years ago.

Sasuke glared at the blonde, intrigued by Deidara's hatred towards him rolling off in waves. He had never seen this man before, what could cause him such anguish? His thoughts were cut off, however, when Deidara decided to make the first move.

Deidara's clay mount flapped its wings mightily, lifting off of the ground, ascending into the air. Deidara then threw two small figurines at the group, attacking from a range. Right as the two clay birds exploded, the four figures which had been standing there moments ago disappeared. Deidara looked below him for any sign of the four, his mechanical eye making small whirring noises as it searched for his targets. As he watched the ground below him, Deidara was oblivious to the air around him.

However, a soft flapping noise caught his attention. Looking up from his search in confusion, Deidara barely had time to throw his body flat on his mount and force it to descend as fast as possible. Shino, atop a giant moth, flew past him harmlessly, missing by mere inches. Deidara glanced back at the summon that the Kousou had used. It looked like a regular moth…just bigger. And one more small detail was changed. Coming out of its mouth were two long, curved tusks, hanging down so that it could impale people as it flew over them. He had barely dodged those tusks. In fact, his cloak had gotten a small cut in it. This would not do.

Flinging three more clay figurines into the air, they emerged as more small birds. Flapping vigorously towards their target, they began to change their previous formation. One of the birds flew straight at Shino, while the others flew to the sides to flank any possible retreat. Shino turned around, facing the three flying explosives coming towards him. He calmly threw a single kunai, eliminating one of the three birds. As the two others approached, Deidara salivated as he prepared to detonate them. Before the figures came close enough to Shino to damage him, twin bolts of lightning struck the figures, shocking them and causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.

"Raiton: Gian!"

Deidara followed the path of the lightning bolts and the sound of the voice to one member on the ground, both of his hands held out, still slightly smoking from the technique he has used. Deidara growled in anger, dropping a single clay figurine subtly down to the ground. As it plummeted towards the earth, smoke enveloped it. A spider emerged from the smoke and fell towards Kiba, who was caught unaware. It latched itself onto Kiba's face, causing Deidara to grin maniacally. "Katsu!" he yelled.

But nothing happened. Instead, the spider fell to the ground, unmoving. As Deidara's left eye began whirring to scope in on the Kousou, he noticed that his hands were in a hand seal. It must have been some kind of defensive jutsu.

Below him, Kiba sighed in relief. That was close. He had barely been able to use his jutsu, the "Raiton: Juude". It covered his body in an electrical charge. He had noticed earlier that when Shino had hit the clay bird with a kunai, it exploded. However, when he hit them with a lightning technique, they had instead been neutralized. And a same thing had happened when he used his Juude. Whispering his findings over the wireless communicator, Kiba looked back up at the fight in the sky.

Deidara pulled his mount into a quick barrel roll, dodging Shino's dive bomb attack successfully yet again. Deidara was beginning to get pissed. Not only was he on the defensive, none of his attacks were even fazing the two shinobi he was engaged in. And the worst part was that the other two nin hadn't even entered the fray. He was going to have to pick it up a notch. He had been using primarily C1 so far, explosive figurines that would explode upon contact or on his command. Now however…

Shino flew forward yet again, the sharp tusks on his flying mount dripping with poison and yearning to tear flesh. This time, however, Deidara didn't dodge. Instead, he began flying straight towards Shino. His face showed only insanity, as Deidara flew recklessly and without fear towards certain death. Shino's eyebrows raised slightly, but regained his composure after that outburst. He commanded his moth summon to speed up. Just as the two flying beasts met in the air, Deidara jumped off, allowing his flying bird to be impaled and destroyed. As Deidara leapt into the air, he began to mold the clay in his hands and infused chakra into it. A large cloud of smoke enveloped him, hiding him from view, before a large clay dragon emerged.

"Hahaha! Meet my C2!" he yelled. It was at this point that Sasuke and Sakura decided to make themselves known. To be honest, Sakura was a little afraid. She was a close range fighter in a long range battle. When confronted with a long range fighter, she knew that she had a couple options. First, she could try to lure him into a place where his long range attacks weren't effective. Her other option was to use attacks with even greater range. But there was one other option that she decided to use. She could rely on her teammates, and play the support role, taking action only when she deemed it necessary.

The dragon that Deidara rode had a fearsome size, but one thing strange about it was its tail. It was segmented into pieces, 8 total. "Take this!" he yelled as his mount swelled up, blasting a projectile from its mouth at high speeds.

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The smoke cleared, revealing Sasori standing behind a strange looking puppet. Its jaw clacked unnaturally, sending shivers down the Kousou members' spines.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, recalling a book he once skimmed. "That's…that's the Third Kazekage!"

"Oh? So you've recognized him. This is my prize puppet…and your demise." Swinging his arms in long arcing motions, the Third Kazekage shot forward. His arm opened up, revealing three blades which began to spin, creating a deadly slicing weapon. As he neared, Hinata and Ino ran forward to greet the opponent, their blades already unsheathed. Hinata's sword clanged against the buzzing weapon, halting the blades completely. Ino then slid under Hinata's guard, swinging her sword in an upward slice, removing the arm completely from the puppet.

Sasori swung his arms again, calling his puppet back to him, a slight furrow in his brow marking his irritation. Hinata and Ino leapt back to the male members of their squad, awaiting Sasori's next move. Naruto smiled over at them, giving them a double thumbs up. "Thanks guys! We owe you one!"

Ino smirked at Naruto. "Well, you can take the next one. I'm still a little tired from using the second stage of my sword."

Sasori frowned. These opponents talked amongst each other as if he weren't even there. What bad manners. He would have to fix that. Again, Sasori began to swing his arms, his fingers moving too quickly for the eye to see. The Sandaime Kazekage dashed forward, this time his remaining arm opening up, splitting into many wooden arms. The mass of arms shot towards the team, causing three of the four to jump off to the side. Naruto, however, stood his ground, forming seals. "Iwa no Yoroi (Armor of Stone)!" he yelled, slamming his hands into the ground. While his hands remained on the ground, dirt and rock crawled up his hands, arms, shoulders, and eventually covered a majority of his body. As they covered his body, the earth hardened into stone, giving Naruto protection from physical attacks, as well as increasing his body mass exponentially. The arms collided with Naruto, but he remained unmoving, the rock on his body allowing him to sustain the barrage of hits.

Sasori watched as his puppet made solid contact with the boy. For a few moments, nothing happened. Time stood still as Sasori waited to see if the boy had been crushed or if he had somehow avoided the attack. His answer came as Naruto blasted the arms into small fragments, forming a Rasengan and destroying a path through the arms. He calmly stepped out, the rock armor crumbling as he released his jutsu.

Sasori let out a growl. These… "Kousou" were an annoyance. It was time to bring out the big guns. "Satetsu!" he yelled as his fingers danced. The puppet's jaw opened unnaturally wide, spewing out a waterfall of a strange gray substance.

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Satetsu? But…but he's just a puppet! How can he use that?"

Sasori grinned, reveling in the shock of the black haired boy. "My puppets are human puppets. I remove their entrails first, preserving them. Then I add my own touches to them, but for this puppet, his greatest weapon is one that he came with."

Shikamaru began to whisper furiously into his communicator, causing Sasori to wonder what they were planning. Whatever it was, he would not let them execute their plan.

The Iron Sand that had spilled out of the Kazekage formed into small spikes. With a simple wave of the hand, the needles shot towards the Kousou, forcing them into evasive maneuvers. Ino and Hinata weaved their way through the needles, blocking the ones they couldn't dodge with their swords.

Shikamaru instead chose to melt into the shadow of a nearby tree, allowing him to emerge from another shadow. Sasori glanced around, not able to find the shadow user after he had submerged into the shadows. Naruto chose to form a great wall of sand, blocking the needles. Soon, the barrage ended, allowing the Kousou to take a breath of relief. As Sasori called the Satetsu back to his puppet, he noticed the three visible Kousou nod their heads as they listened to their communicators. So they had a plan. He would just have to spoil it.

"Time to stop conserving my chakra! Satetsu Kaiho (Sand World Order)!" The Iron Sand that had been collected began to grow, creating an expanding sphere of spikes. As if on cue, Naruto let out an enormous pulse of chakra. Sasori smirked a bit. _They think that a pulse of chakra will stop my attack? No matter how large of a pulse that might have been, there's nothing that can stop my Satetsu Kaiho…_

However, the sphere of spikes that had previously been growing at an alarming rate instead began to dissolve, the Iron Sand falling to the ground harmlessly. Immediately after the Iron Sand dissolved, Shikamaru emerged out of Sasori's shadow. "Kage Koutai.!" Shikamaru quickly finished a second set of handseals. "Kage Nui (Shadow Sewing)!"

Tendrils made of shadow began to latch onto Sasori's body, making movement impossible. Shikamaru targeted the hands first, completely binding Sasori's ability to control his puppets. As the thin threads of shadow continued to connect, Sasori's face contorted into a look of pure rage.

"How? How did you defeat my ultimate puppet?"

Shikamaru looked at him, boredom evident in his eyes. "I guess you just got unlucky. Naruto happens to have a bloodline limit. You see, it negates other bloodline limits in the area."

Sasori glanced over Shikamaru's shoulder, seeing the blonde jinchuuriki. If that was true, then the Akatsuki would have a bigger problem than they knew. His thoughts were interrupted as Ino and Hinata appeared before him, their hands blurs as they ran through handseals.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!"

"Suiton: Suiryudan!"

Both pointed their swords straight at Sasori as their two dragon attacks emerged from them. The water dragon and fire dragon streaked towards their target, twisting around each other in midair several times before the finally struck, creating a shockwave that forced Shikamaru to retreat from his position near Sasori.

Steam covered the field after the fiery attack evaporated the water. "Did that do it?" asked Ino quietly, silently hoping that the battle was over. Naruto shrugged as he did a few hand seals.

"Futon: Daitoppa!" Wind swiftly blew away the mist, revealing the battlefield and their opponent. Sasori remained, as calm as ever. However, three rods had emerged from his stomach, right shoulder, and left shoulder, creating a triangular shape. The three rods seemed to be using some sort of chakra barrier to protect Sasori.

Shikamaru landed silently next to the rest of his teammates. "Damn. He had chakra shields hidden in his puppet the whole time."

"Chakra shields?" asked Ino, puzzled.

"Puppet users sometimes utilize chakra shields to defend themselves, as they don't have very good defensive capabilities if their puppets are immobilized or they are separated from them. They use chakra as a medium to create a shield that protects them from even the most powerful attacks. But the amount of damage that the shields absorb is directly proportional to the amount of chakra necessary."

Naruto tilted his head a little. "So…he must have used a lot of chakra to block that combo attack…"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yes. I doubt he can block an attack like that again, but from here on out, he's going to be more wary. We won't be able to catch him by surprise like that again."

Sasori trembled in rage. He was low on chakra; he had lost his favorite puppet, Hiruko; and his strongest puppet, the Third Kazekage, was in ruins, never to be used again.

Sasori reached for a scroll on his back. He hadn't had to use _that_ in a while…Sasori unrolled the scroll and began to make seals. "You have forced my hand. Aka Higi: Hyakki no Soen (Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets)!"

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"Kuso…" cursed Deidara, for what seemed like the millionth time that day. It had certainly been a troublesome time for Deidara. First, he hadn't gotten to fight the jinchuuriki, then he had been attacked by a killer moth, and some idiot with a lightning affinity, and THEN his attacks were nullified with ease! Who were these people?

A streak of lightning flew by his face, singing his clay bird's wing. "Kuso kuso kuso!" Deidara was a missing nin from Iwa, and his clay attacks were doton based, making those two lightning users a hassle that he was having problems defeating. The other two he could make short work of, but with the Uchiha and the Inuzuka hounding him, no pun intended, he had very little room to work with.

His only shot was to hope that they ran out of chakra soon. He didn't have much more clay left and he was just about out of options. Maybe he could go back to master Sasori and…no, he wouldn't make his opponents Sasori's problem. While the Akatsuki were all S-class rogue ninja, they had a certain understanding and respect for each other. Thus, Deidara's insistence on calling his teammate Sasori-danna (Master Sasori).

A kunai crackling with lightning chakra whizzed by as Deidara continued to fly around in circles, thinking about what he could do.

"Haha, this guy's a pansy, huh Sasuke?" yelled Kiba over the sound of their jutsu filling the air.

Sasuke just glanced over at the other lightning user. Kiba was the best lightning user in Konoha…even better than himself. Sasuke's main chakra affinity was for fire, but he was still quite adept at lightning. Seeing Kiba's mastery over lightning, Sasuke could not help but feel a bit of envy at Kiba's prowess. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even the best in Konoha with fire techniques either…

Sasuke fought back the feelings of self doubt, flinging yet another lightning attack at the circling Akatsuki.

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Deidara dodged another attack, skillfully angling his clay mount so that the attackers could not see him for a moment. In that moment of concealment, Deidara created a clay bunshin with the last of his clay and dropped into a tree as he passed. To the Kousou, it looked as if he had just dodged an attack, but in reality, Deidara had made a strategic retreat. As Deidara sat in the tree, watching the Kousou with interest, he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.

Deidara spun around, swinging his fist in pure instinct. The person behind him ducked swiftly, allowing Deidara's fist to sail harmlessly over his head.

Deidara jumped back swiftly into another tree to separate himself from the unexpected newcomer. "Who are you? Are you with those Kousou?" Already, Deidara had his remaining hand in his pouch, scrounging around for any tiny bit of explosive clay.

The masked assailant only tilted his head for a response.

"Seriously, who are you? Tell me or I'll blow your fucking head off!"

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"…" Deidara sweat dropped, scolding himself for being caught off guard by such a strange individual. "Tobi eh?"

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"Uh-HUH…Well Tobi, how would you like to help me out? I'm kind of in a bind and I need a place to stay for a while."

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"Oook, I'll take that for a 'Yes Deidara, you CAN stay with me'." Deidara glanced behind him, checking on his bunshin, who continued to dodge attack after attack. "Lead the way Tobi!" he said cheerfully. Thankfully, Tobi got the message and began jumping through the tree branches, leading a very tired and hurt Deidara away from the danger area. While he followed the orange and black clad man, Deidara pondered his next moves.

_This guy seems decent enough, even if he seems a little slow. I can hang around him for a while, heal my arm with that elixir that Pein's little bitch gave me, refuel on my clay, and then I can come back to the Akatsuki good as new. Hopefully Sasori-danna will be alright for a while without me…what am I saying? Sasori-danna is heads above me! There's no way those four punks could even touch him, even with the jinchuuriki!_

Smiling, Deidara continued through the forest and pulled up next to Tobi.

"So Tobi, you like art?"

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Sasori sent a new batch of puppets at the four man cell. They were back to back, creating a small ring with little to no blindside. Littered at their feet were the remains of Sasori's four previous failed attacks. However, this time, instead of sending puppets from all sides like his last attack, he would send only a few to the blonde jinchuuriki, the shadow user, and the Hyuuga. The rest of the group would be sent at the blonde haired kunoichi in an effort to overload one side. Sasori's one hundred puppets had been reduced to seventy five, and he was using ten in this one blitz.

The puppets flew forward unnaturally at the four Kousou, and each Kousou member took their side, protecting each other's backside. Naruto finished his side quickly, using his sand to lock up the puppets joints, rendering it useless. Glancing over at his sides, he noticed Ino struggling with seven of her own puppets. Watching as she blasted a fire jutsu into the fray, torching one of the puppets, Naruto decided to join the battle.

Sasori smirked. The jinchuuriki had abandoned his post. Now was the opportune time to strike at their blind spot. Sasori sent another ten puppets at the spot Naruto was once occupying. However, as they reached the area where Naruto had been, multiple shadow clones dropped out of the tree branches above them, each smashing a Rasengan into the puppets, completely and utterly destroying them. At the same time, Ino and Naruto finished their battle and Naruto returned to his position.

_So they were prepared for such tactics. It seems that the black haired one is their strategist…so I should take him out first. That, and he annoys me…_

Sasori's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden commotion behind him. Whipping around to assess the danger, Sasori's eyes widened, seeing Naruto dashing at him from behind holding a glowing blue orb in his right hand. Sasori quickly controlled two of his puppets to catch him, and each one grabbed on of his arms. The Rasengan quickly evaporated, as Naruto's concentration had been broken. However, Naruto began to smile. "Bunshin Daibakuha!" A blast rocked the area, decimating the two puppets holding the clone, as well as damaging several others in the area. Sasori shook in uncontrollable rage. Turning back towards the Kousou, Sasori was shocked to see yet another Naruto before him, Rasengan already nearing. On sheer instinct, a poisoned kunai shot out of Sasori's right shoulder. The kunai embedded itself into Naruto's shoulder, causing him to pop into ninja smoke.

Again, Sasori began to shake, but instead of rage, Sasori felt…fear. Sasori leapt back several feet, bringing his remaining puppets into a defensive formation around him. He began to think about what were his remaining options and the abilities of his opponents. So far, he had two kenjutsu masters, a brilliant strategist, and a never ending supply of dangerous clones that could kill him easily. The odds were NOT stacked in his favor.

One thing that he had to avoid was the shadow user. If he could immobilize him like he had before with the Shadow Sewing technique…it was over. Sasori looked over at the strategist. Something strange was happening.

"Ok guys. I'm going to finish this. Stand back," Shikamaru commanded. Chakra slowly began to swirl around him. His blue chakra became a visible aura around him and slowly changed tint to a jet black. His eyes clouded over, becoming completely black. Sasori shuddered at the sight. Perhaps…perhaps this was truly the end of his art. Shikamaru pulled out his trench knives and his black chakra began to flow around them as well. "Hanzatsu…release." At that same moment, Shikamaru slammed the two hilts of the trench knives together, creating a momentary flash of light. After the flash of light, Shikamaru held a long, black katana. "Sigh…troublesome."

Shikamaru disappeared in a burst of speed. As he ran, Shikamaru dragged his sword tip along the ground, leaving a bit of black chakra in his wake. Sasori watched with caution as the shadow user continued on his way, not getting close enough to cause concern to him. Shikamaru continued on his way, until he returned to his original spot. He had run a complete circle around Sasori and had left a ring of shadow chakra around him. "Hanzatsu!" he cried, stabbing it into the earth. As he did, a dome of black chakra covered Sasori and his clones. Shikamaru sighed in relief and slowly stepped into the dome.

Naruto, Hinata, and Ino watched in fascination as the laziest ninja in Konoha executed such a strenuous technique.

"Ano…will he be alright by himself?" Hinata asked with concern in her voice.

Naruto laughed, waving off her fears. "Ahhh, Shikamaru will be alright. He knows what he's doing!" However, right after he said that, he looked at the black dome in front of him. They could not see Shikamaru, Sasori, or anything that was happening inside. _Don't die Shikamaru…_

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Shikamaru opened his eyes once he had completely entered his Shadow Sphere. He yawned deeply, making Sasori narrow his eyes in frustration and anger. What was this technique?

As if reading his mind, Shikamaru began talking. "This is my Shadow Sphere. What happens here is in MY control. Think of it as…a smaller version of Tsukuyomi." With a wave of his hand, several blobs of shadow emerged from the ground around Shikamaru. They began to form themselves into humanoid figures, eventually becoming exact replicas of Shikamaru. "Kage Bunshin. But not like Naruto's. These shadow clones are many times more potent. But don't tell him I said that."

"You arrogant prick! You seriously think you can take me on one on one? Even with your special shadow clones, one of you pitiful Kousou members are no match for a true Akatsuki!"

"True, if you were at full strength, and if I had not unleashed Hanzatsu, I would not have even tried to fight you one on one. But at this point, this is the most logical way to proceed. It allows me to eliminate you without you having the opportunity to escape, as well as the benefit of making it impossible for you to injure the rest of my team."

Sasori's only response was to hold his hands out, palms forward, and shoot two jets of flame at Shikamaru. Shikamaru and his clones lazily dodged and scattered, making Sasori sweep his flames in long arcs in an attempt to eliminate multiple clones at once.

The real Shikamaru continued running at a leisurely pace around in circles, allowing his clones to provide the distraction he needed. Forming a single seal, he put his hand down on the ground for a moment before continuing on his way. After every few moments, he repeated the process, until he came back to the first kanji he had placed. Glancing up at the battle, he noticed that Sasori had switched to water attacks, and had apparently been quite successful, destroying over fifty percent of Shikamaru's shadow clones.

"But they served their purpose…" he muttered. "Kage Ninpo: Hayameni (Ahead of Time)!" All at once, thick, black beams from the kanji surrounding Sasori connected with each other. Sasori looked in suspicion at the large black circle with glowing kanji around him. Shikamaru took Hanzatsu and began channeling chakra into it. As he channeled chakra into it, the circle began to glow. The kanji around Sasori began to slowly rotate around the central focus, Sasori. They began to move slowly at first, but soon picked up speed until they were nothing but bright blurs to the puppet master.

Soon, Sasori was trapped in a glowing ring of light. Shikamaru yelled in exertion as he reached the chakra levels he needed to pull off the technique. As he released his chakra, the ring around Sasori emitted light straight up into the air, creating a cylinder of chakra and light around him.

Shikamaru panted heavily, leaning on his sword hilt with the point embedded in the ground. "This is the end. This is my shadow power to the extreme. You are trapped in a seal that effectively slows down time. You cannot escape. You cannot win. You can however…die." As he finished his monologue, Shikamaru went through a long series of handseals. As he did so, Sasori attempted to escape, but instead of running towards the edge of the cylinder, Sasori found that his legs were moving extremely slowly. It was as if he were running through molasses. Instead of running, Sasori then tried to use his hidden weapons to escape. He tried to use the metallic cable to pull him out, but the compartment wouldn't even open fast enough. He tried to eject his own heart, but his own fingers couldn't manipulate the chakra strings fast enough.

"Shadow Razing!" Shikamaru slammed his hands down on the ground, and the once bright cylinder of light was completely filled with black spikes coming from the ground. Shikamaru sighed in relief. He could feel Sasori's broken body in his shadow tendrils. The last technique he had used created a veritable forest of shadow tendrils, each with a tip as sharp as a kunai. They then shot out of the ground, penetrating everything in an area. This technique was best used after he used the Hayameni technique to slow down time in the area so that they could not escape.

Shikamaru released his jutsu, allowing the forest of blades to sink into the earth and the glowing cylinder of light to dim. Then, pulled Hanzatsu out of the ground and sealed it once again, putting the two trench knives back into their hidden holsters on his arms.

Naruto, Hinata, and Ino watched in awe as the black dome before them slowly melted away, revealing a very tired Shikamaru and a very, very dead Sasori.

Shikamaru looked at the three before him. "That was really troublesome."

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Ok, for the next few chapters, I'm going to do short little descriptions of the swords that the Kousou use. First off will be Shikamaru's since it's so fresh in everyone's mind.

Hanzatsu: Literally translated as "Troublesome", this sword takes Shikamaru's personality to the extreme, allowing him to slow down time and take all the time he wants to watch clouds and finish off any opponents later. In its initial form, Hanzatsu is actually two trench knives, but the sword is released when the user slams the two hilts together. Hanzatsu in its released form is a long black katana, capable of leaving shadow chakra in its trail and capable of creating Shikamaru's "Shadow Spheres". Any other powers are unknown.

Well, this update took a while. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the battles, and what kind of ability Hanzatsu should have. Hopefully you guys think that it's a decent power and whatnot, and that Sasori wasn't underpowered. It WAS four vs. one.

Spoiler Alert!

On another note, I will be diverging from canon very soon. Tobi will NOT be Uchiha Madara. I don't like that at all, so Tobi will be something of my own creation. He actually plays a large role in this story, so be sure to pay attention!

Spoiler Alert End!

Well, review now! Seriously though, the reviews I got for my last chapter were as many as I got for my fifth chapter…a pretty big drop off. Keep me motivated! Send me those big juicy reviews!


	19. Chapter 18: Rescue Gaara Part 3

Ahhhhh, sorry folks. Here's the newest chapter of Redemption of Brothers. Enjoy.

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Sasuke's squad emerged from the foliage to see Shikamaru fall to one knee, gasping for breath. Immediately, Naruto and Sakura were at his side, the latter checking his vitals. However, Shikamaru waved them off as he started to stand up straight again, but it was evident that it took considerable strain to do just that.

"I'm alright guys, just a little tired. Sasuke, status?"

"Well, none of us have suffered any kind of damage. However our target has escaped. Turns out we were fighting some kind of clay bunshin. I don't know how long we were fighting the bunshin, or if we ever even really fought this "Deidara of the Rock". He could be anywhere."

Shikamaru nodded solemnly. "So that's one more hostile that could disrupt our plans. But that can't be helped. What we have to do now is continue the mission and deal with any other sidetracks later. By Baki-sama's estimate, we have a few more hours to rescue the Kazekage. Ino and Hinata are already at the entrance, let's go."

The remaining Kousou members sped off to the place where they had first met the Akatsuki duo.

"Hey! We're up here!" The Kousou looked up to see Ino and Hinata perched on top of the large rock blocking the entrance to the cave where Gaara was. "Come check this out Shino!"

Shino suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke and reappeared at Ino's side. After a moment, Shino disappeared again and reappeared before Shikamaru. "It appears that there is a seal preventing us from moving forward."

"I see. But…we can still get in, right?"

"We can…but it will take time. Seals are not meant to be broken, but all can be. It's just a matter of the difficulty. In addition, we have a time restraint. The seal on the rock is a five star seal. I could…" Shino trailed off.

"You could what Shino? We need more options. From what you've said, this seal could take a while to break."

Shino nodded in agreement. "Hai. Five star seals are very difficult to break, but there are two different ways to break them. One is to find all five seals in the surrounding area and remove them at the same time. This could take time, however. Time that we do not have."

"Right. What's this other way then? It seems we have no other choice."

"The only other way to break a seal of that caliber is to NOT break it. Rather than break the seal, we have to put another seal on top of the seal. By sealing the seal, we will have effectively broken the seal."

"I see. This plan seems flawless…" Shikamaru would have continued had he not been cut off abruptly.

"I would agree, but the seal required to disrupt the Akatsuki seal requires me to make a sacrifice of chakra."

"How…much…chakra?" Shikamaru asked tentatively.

"Enough chakra to put me into a state of chakra depletion."

Shikamaru sighed and tapped the side of his face with his finger. "Does this…sacrifice of chakra…have to be YOUR chakra?"

Shino raised his eyebrows until they were visible over his sunglasses. "Not necessarily I suppose. They would just have to supply the chakra into the seal that I create…I suppose you are thinking the same thing that I am."

"Of course. Go prepare the seal. I'll go fill in the rest of the squad."

Shino nodded and disappeared, leaving a small cloud of smoke in his wake. Shikamaru called the rest of the team to him and they obediently surrounded him, awaiting his next order.

"It seems that there is a seal on the boulder that is preventing us from proceeding." Suddenly, he was interrupted by a loud, angry voice.

"WHAT? Are you saying that we're giving up?! I'm not giving up on Gaara that easily! Come on lazy ass! You're smart! Figure something out!" yelled Naruto, pumping his fist at the exasperated Nara.

"...We have Naruto…now please calm down and listen. Shino is preparing a seal that will negate the effects of the Akatsuki's seal. However, it requires a great deal of chakra to work, so Naruto, you're going to have to go help Shino. Once the seal is in place, I want Sakura to create an entrance for us, if you know what I mean. Then, we'll break up into our squads and enter. Now I don't know what's going to be in there, but I know that we can face anything that comes into our way. Don't do anything stupid, and keep our objective in mind. We save Gaara FIRST and foremost. Anything else comes secondary."

The group nodded and Naruto bounded up to the top of the boulder where Shino was busy writing kanji on a slip of paper.

"Uzumaki-san. You must be very careful when you infuse your chakra sacrifice into the seal. It could easily take enough chakra to kill a normal ninja."

After Shino said these words, Naruto just began to laugh. Puzzled, Shino just continued to work on his seal. "I didn't think I said anything funny Uzumaki-san."

"Don't lose any sleep over this little infusion. I'll be fine. Trust me."

"I don't believe you understand Uzumaki-san. You cannot use the demon chakra for this. This sacrifice must be purely your own chakra."

"I don't think YOU understand Shino. With or without Kyuubi, I've got enough chakra to do this in my sleep."

"I hope for your sake, our sake, and Gaara's sake that your arrogance is not unfounded." And with that, Shino disappeared.

"Arrogance?! That little…rrrrgh!" Naruto looked down at the ground below him and saw Shino reappear beside his teammate, Kiba. Glancing back towards his own teammate, he saw Shikamaru give him the thumbs up. "Alrighty, here we go ladies and gentlemen," he whispered into his wireless communicator. He placed his hands on the seal in the formation that Shino had directed and began to channel his chakra.

The Kousou gathered at the base of the rock watched intently as Naruto busied himself on top of the boulder.

"Can he do it Shika?" asked Ino, doubt in her voice.

"I don't know. All I know is that when Naruto puts his mind to something, he can do anything."

Hinata nodded. Finally, someone had realized Naruto's potential other than her! _Naruto-kun…show them how strong you are!_

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Sweat dripped from Naruto's brown as he continued gathering chakra. "Ok guys, be ready. I've almost got the amount necessary…counting down from five…four…three…"

Sasuke's eyes changed from their usual black color to the blood red of the Sharingan. The tree tomoe rotated as he prepared himself mentally and physically for what may await him in the cave. Sakura pulled her leather gloves a bit tighter, getting ready to crush the only obstacle in their way of their mission objective.

"Two…one…"

Then, all at once, a massive explosion of chakra rippled out from the top of the boulder. All of the Kousou put their arms in front of their faces, protecting their eyes from the flying debris. Blue chakra radiated out, pushing them back several feet until they adhered to the earth with chakra.

"Sakura! Now!" yelled Shikamaru over the maelstrom of chakra. Sakura nodded and grabbed Sasuke's wrist, allowing him to grab her wrist. Sasuke began to spin her around, slowly at first, but they began to increase in speed until at last, Sasuke released her, throwing her through the chakra field like a bullet. Sakura kept up her speed, pushing off the ground every now and then until she finally reached the boulder, and with one final heave, thrust her fist into the granite rock.

A resounding rumble filled the valley as the chakra flare finally ended. Naruto jumped from the boulder as Sakura too retreated back to her teammate just as the boulder fractured, then shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces.

Shikamaru immediately began giving out orders. "Kiba, Shino, GO! Ino and Hinata, watch their backs! We can't let up for one moment!"

With astounding obedience, the two teams zipped in, each one jumping to either side of the opening. "Ok, they have the sides; we're going straight up the middle! Go!"

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru moved as a unit through the opening. As their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, they noticed several glowing figures atop rock platforms shaped like hands surrounding a large statue.

"It seems we have intruders," came a sinister voice.

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"So, Tobi, are you a ninja?"

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"Tobi, you're really getting on my nerves. Are you a ninja or not?!"

"Tobi is the bestest ninja ever!"

"You don't say? I like long range fighting myself. Ooh, and artistic fighting! How about you Tobi? What kind of ninja are you?"

"The bestest!"

"I see…Where are you taking me anyway Tobi?"

"A secret place…safe from all of Tobi's enemies!"

"You have enemies? What kind of enemies?"

"Tobi has many enemies...many…deadly enemies…"

Deidara was intrigued by Tobi's sudden change in demeanor. Where he had once been a happy man dressed in black and orange, there was now a suspicious, secretive man…still dressed in black and orange.

"Why do you have so many enemies? Are they bandits? Ninja?"

"Squirrels!"

"…"

"And raccoons!"

"Fascinating...hey, what's with the mask Tobi? It's really inartistic."

"Tobi loves his mask! And Tobi loves Deidara-sempai!"

"Sempai?"

"Hai! Deidara-sempai can help teach Tobi new ninja moves! Hiyah!" he yelled, as he jumped kicked towards a nearby tree, only to fall short by several feet. He fell through the branches of the tree they had been traveling through, screaming hysterically the whole way.

Deidara immediately dashed to the edge of one of the branches and watched him fall. _That's a fifty foot drop! I can't save him…it's too late…Poor guy, seemed decent enough…_

But before Deidara could go down and check on Tobi's body, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He swung around only to have his entire vision obscured by an orange mask with a hole for his eye.

"Yay! Tobi survived! Super-Tobi hug!" he yelled wildly, throwing his arms around Deidara.

"Argh! No man on man contact, understand Tobi?" yelled Deidara, wriggling his wrists inside of Tobi's "Super-Tobi hug" and pushed against Tobi's chest, releasing himself. After he had been freed, Deidara marveled at Tobi's strength. It seemed like he wasn't even trying, but Tobi easily not only captured Deidara, but was also squeezing hard enough to damage internal organs. He would have to watch out for this man. People who didn't know their own strength were the most dangerous people alive, since if they didn't know their own strength, then there was no way for YOU to know their strength.

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"Gaara!" yelled Naruto when he saw his friend lying motionless on the ground, red chakra spilling out of his mouth and eyes. He immediately ran forward, throwing shuriken at each of the glowing figures atop the hand shaped platforms. Each shuriken was perfectly aimed, but each passed through the Akatsuki members harmlessly.

"Meddlesome pest. Come, we must hurry. The sealing process is almost complete," said the apparent leader to the rest of the Akatsuki.

Shikamaru suddenly appeared at Naruto's side, inspecting Gaara's body. "They're…extracting the Ichibi's chakra and sealing it into that statue…interesting…but surely…not complete…possibility?"

"Shika! Stop mumbling to yourself! What's the plan?!" yelled Naruto, snapping Shikamaru out of his deep thoughts.

"Sorry, right. Shino! Come here!" Shino nodded and appeared by the two Kousou immediately. "Five Elements seal. Now."

"I understand." Shino reared back his right hand, blue flames appearing at his fingertips. "Gogyo Fuin!" he yelled as he slammed his fingertips into Gaara's shoulder.

The Five Elements seal was a high leveled seal, used to restrict the flow of chakra in the victim's body, similar to having chakra points sealed by the Hyuuga gentle fist. While most seal users used the Five Elements seal as an offensive weapon to incapacitate and weaken their opponents, it could also be used in a different way.

The red chakra leaking out of Gaara began to slow, until it had stopped all together. Gaara's body twitched once, then became motionless once again.

"Hm? Done already? A shame, isn't it. You come this far only to watch him die. A pity," mocked the leader.

However, the second those words had left his mouth, the statue which the chakra had begun to be sealed into began to rumble and shake.

"What? What is this? What have you done?!" yelled the leader in frantic confusion. Rocks hailed from the ceiling as the entire cavern reverberated. Stalactites fell, forcing the Kousou to take evasive maneuvers. Then, red chakra began to fill the air, slowly leaking from the statue which had once captured the Ichibi's essence.

"No! This is impossible!"

"Far from it. It seems that my hypothesis was correct," drawled Shikamaru lazily.

"What are you talking about?!" yelled a figure with a large scythe looking form strapped to his back.

"This idol seems to be able to hold chakra. However, the chakra of the biju is enormous...so large that I can't even comprehend it. For something to hold that much power…it must have some sort of secondary containment. It seems that for it to hold the massive amount of biju chakra, it must contain ALL of the biju chakra. When you extract chakra from a container like that, you first take the chakra of the biju, and then, rip the essence of the demon from the container, effectively killing them."

"The black haired one is correct…" muttered a large Akatsuki member beside the one with the scythe.

"Once the statue has the essence of the demon, it can use that essence to control the wild chakra it holds. Without the biju there to control it, the chakra cannot be restrained…" As Shikamaru spoke, the chakra began to swirl in the room, creating a cyclone of red chakra in the center of the room with the center of the vortex right on top of Gaara's motionless form.

"And it returns to where the biju resides." The vortex began to pump the chakra out of the room and into Gaara's body, which began to convulse in violent shakes and twitches.

The leader looked at the black haired shinobi before him. To have that kind of intimate knowledge of the statue…he was a dangerous adversary.

"Who are you…and why do you fight against we who cannot be stopped?"

"We…are the Kousou. And we fight to protect our precious people."

"Hn, precious people indeed. We shall meet again…Kousou." And with that, the leader's astral form vanished. One by one, the rest of the Akatsuki followed suit until the Kousou were the only ones left with the unconscious Kazekage.

"Sakura, how is he?" Shikamaru asked. Sakura, who had already been running diagnostic jutsu, looked up with hope in her eyes.

"He seems to be stable, but I'll have to check him out more extensively to see if the sudden reentrance of the demon chakra created any permanent damage."

"I see. Kiba, take the Kazekage. We have a long journey back to the Sand. Let's move." Two by two, each team disappeared in a flash, until only Shikamaru and Naruto remained.

"That was close Shika…how did you know it would work?"

"I didn't Naruto…and that's what's so scary. If I had been wrong…the Akatsuki would have the Ichibi and things would be much harder for us."

Naruto nodded solemnly, and the two men dashed off towards Suna.

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Deidara had looked up at the tree house that Tobi lived in. It was an enormous structure, built into an equally enormous tree. As he walked through it with Tobi, he marveled at Tobi's craftsmanship. Truly, Tobi was a man of mystery and hidden talents. It was then that Deidara decided to train Tobi. Tobi had the strength and the tools to become a valued addition to the Akatsuki, all he needed was some polishing.

And so Deidara found himself in the forest, sparring with Tobi. He knew Tobi was strong, but he had never thought that Tobi would be able to do this well in his first true ninja spar. He was nursing a bruised rib, maybe even broken rib. He had been hiding in a bush for the better part of an hour, hiding from his insane orange clad...student. Deidara was forced to ask himself who the true student was in this situation. The one pursuing or the one hiding in a bush like a scared mouse.

"Deeeeidara-sempai! Where aaaare you!" Deidara shrank back into his bush a little more at the sound of Tobi's voice. He watched in horror as Tobi skipped into the clearing, calling his name out over and over. "C'mon Deidara-sempai! Teach me something cool! Tobi's bored!"

"I'll teach you alright..."muttered Deidara, silently forming clay in his good arm. His other arm was still gone, as the medicine that he had gotten from the Akatsuki served only to cauterize the wound and prevent him from bleeding to death. Tobi sat down on the ground in the clearing, playing with ants, oblivious to the small clay squirrel scurrying quickly towards him. Deidara smirked as the clay weapon neared.

However, at the last moment, Tobi sensed the clay figure and spun around, laying eyes…or eye…on the small clay squirrel.

"OH NO! DIEDARA-SEMPAI, THE SQUIRRELS HAVE FOUND TOBI! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the orange clad man screamed as he covered his eye with his forearm. With his other arm, however, he lashed out, smashing the poor clay squirrel with tremendous strength, shaking the very earth.

In his bush, Deidara sweat dropped. This Tobi fellow was dangerous…too dangerous. He'd have to get rid of the threat…sooner rather than later.

As Deidara began to plan, the tree his bush was under lost its stability because of the shockwaves Tobi's wild punch had caused. As it began to fall, Deidara looked up in abject horror. "Shit…" he sobbed.

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Tenten sat on a stool at Ichiraku's, silently stirring her leftover broth. She didn't really like the remaining soup, preferring the noodles instead. When she ate with Naruto, however, he would always finish it for her with much gusto. She giggled softly to herself as she paid her tab and left her unfinished bowl on the counter. Naruto…he'd been gone for a few days and she was missing him sorely.

But while he had been gone, she had been able to reflect on things. She felt like she was in love. But she had thought that before. In fact, she had thought that many times before. Neji…was one of those men that she thought she loved at one point. But he had made it clear that he hadn't wanted to be with her. Neji had only been in the relationship because Tenten had initiated it. Otherwise, he would have never done a thing. That was the only thing that kept her from loving Neji, she thought to herself. If he had loved her back, then maybe things would have been different. But now he was with Ino and seemed…happy enough. Again, Ino was the one who had to take the initiative and ask him out, seeing as Neji seemed content enough to be a loner.

Tenten walked by the park, smiling at the young children playing Ninja. A soft breeze flowed through her hair and she closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, savoring every moment. These fall afternoons stirred something deep within her. A longing perhaps? She couldn't tell.

Tenten's thoughts went back to her blonde boyfriend. Was she in love? She just couldn't tell. In the beginning she had gone to him just because he was the hottest piece of ass that was available at the time. But now? Was she in love or was it still her infatuation? Tenten sighed as she continued walking home.

But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she bumped into someone in front of her. She shook the thoughts out of her head as she raised her eyes to apologize. "Gomen…I should be looking where I…" Tenten trailed off.

"Tenten…I...I…I want to be with you." Tenten's eyes widened as her heart tightened. Her brain had frozen and she could only whisper one word.

"Neji…?"

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The Kousou teams arrived in Suna after three days of travel. They were able to be more leisurely this time, as they were not rushing to save Gaara's life. He regained consciousness after two days and was able to run with the rest of the team into Suna. As he appeared within the walls of his hidden village, he was greeted by cheers, surprising him. He had always been the object of hate in Suna…the subject of assassination attempts. But now…now he had gained the respect of his village. And he refused to not measure up.

"Arigato, Kousou," he said softly. "I owe you my life."

Shikamaru smiled lazily. "Yeah, it was troublesome."

Naruto sweat dropped at his partner's apathy. Gaara only chuckled lightly, surprising the entire Kousou team. From what they had heard, Gaara used to be a bloodthirsty killer, emotionless and full of killer intent. This Gaara…was different. Naruto smiled broadly at his changed friend.

"Gaara, we protect our precious people."

Gaara's eyes widened at that simple statement. _Precious people?_ "I see. Then I too will follow that nindo for my village as well."

Naruto smiled again, giving Gaara a thumbs up.

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"Deidara-sempai? Where are we going?" asked Tobi childishly, skipping alongside Deidara. Deidara was in a sorry state. He had bandages wrapped around his ribs, a splint supporting his one good arm, while the remains of his other arm hung at his side. He was hopping gingerly as Tobi ran in circles around him occasionally. Every time Tobi got too close though, Deidara flinched. _This man is dangerous…_he thought to himself.

"Deidara-sempai!? Did you go deaf too?! OH THE HORROR! DEIDARA-SEMPAIIIIII!" Tobi screamed, causing Deidara to wince at the sheer volume. It was like he was a sound nin in addition to his other skills. He definitely had to die.

"We're going…to this place where I'm going to teach you something very special," Deidara said, quieting Tobi down.

"Yay! Deidara-sempai is the greatest!" Tobi squealed as he waved his arms in the air as he ran in circles around the injured Akatsuki member. Deidara smirked as he continued following his path of white stones he had set the night before. In the clearing they were headed to, he had set a field of his special clay mines. Then, he'd send Tobi into the field and…well, no more Tobi.

"Deidara-sempai, Deidara-sempai! What are all these white stones?"

"Have you ever heard the story about Hansel and Gretel Tobi?" asked Deidara.

Tobi shook his head vigorously. "Nope Deidara-sempai! But I LOVE stories! Tell Tobi about Hansel and Gretel!"

"Well, they were these two kids that went into the forest. To make sure that they didn't get lost, they set down bread crumbs so that they could follow the trail back home. But when they turned around, all the crumbs had been eaten by birds. So I'm using white stones so that I can find my way back to your tree house…you know…in case we get…separated."

"Deidara-sempai is SO smart!" Tobi yelled as he began doing cartwheels for no reason. Deidara continued his hobbling. He didn't know the way back to Tobi's tree house and would probably die out in the wilderness in the state he was in. So he had to leave a trail he could follow after he had killed Tobi. Deidara smirked. The poor guy wouldn't know what hit him.

"Tobi, we're here." Tobi peered out from behind Deidara looking at the large clearing. "Wow Deidara-sempai, it's amazing!"

"…What's so amazing about it?..." asked Deidara, eyebrow cocked.

"Tobi doesn't know!" he said cheerfully. Deidara sweat dropped.

"Well Tobi, what I'm going to teach you is over there by that tree. Why don't you go over there and fetch it for me?" Deidara asked, a glint in his eye. Tobi nodded and began to take a step when Deidara glanced over his shoulder.

"Wait. Tobi, what happened to the white stone path?" Deidara asked, bewildered.

Tobi tapped the side of his face thoughtfully, then pointed up in the air as he remembered. "Tobi ate 'em all!"

Deidara stared incredulously at Tobi. "What?! Why?"

"Tobi doesn't know!"

Deidara sweat dropped yet again. He was beginning to get dehydrated from all the sweating he was doing around Tobi. Deidara's mind began spinning as he tried to think of a new plan. Kill Tobi and die in the wilderness? He seemed harmless enough…things were just unlucky around him. That tree falling on him wasn't really Tobi's fault. And Tobi had SO much potential. He could really benefit the Akatsuki…maybe he would spare him…for now.

"Um…yeah, forget that thing over there Tobi. I'll teach you something way better…ummmm, the Kawarimi! Yeah!"

"Yay! Tobi is going to be the bestest ninja EVER!"xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Short chapter, but I was running out of things that could happen in the Rescue Gaara arc. Sorry about the long update, I was having problems thinking of what could happen. Buddyboy doesn't know!

Well, here's a brief synopsis of Chouji's sword, Gentei!

Gentei: Literally translated as "Limit", this sword truly sends it's wielder to their limits. A massive zanbato, reaching a length of over six and a half feet, Gentei is capable of outreaching and outmuscling most other swords. Chouji's family jutsu capitalize on draining their energy that they store quickly, giving them massive strength and massive size to defeat their opponents quickly. Gentei's second form mirrors that by firing off a massive beam of energy, consuming the user's chakra and lifeforce rapidly. Gentei's second form is, as of yet, unknown.


	20. Chapter 19: Epidemic

I for one have been severely disappointed with my work lately, which may be why it's been taking me so long to write these chapters. Here's to improving my writing this chapter, I'll try and make a real effort.

And so, with no more things to say, here's the next chapter.

Chapter Nineteen

"Sasori-danna…dead?"

Pein turned his eyes towards the blonde haired Akatsuki and gave no answer.

"But…but…how?" cried Deidara, his hands curling into fists. Deidara had spent five years with Sasori, and respected him, not only as his superior, but as a fellow artist.

"Kousou."

Deidara's fists clenched tighter as he tried to contain his anger. He looked at the ground as he silently fumed.

"We are now down a member," said Itachi, his voice and face completely impassive.

"Yes."

The Akatsuki were in one of their hideouts, discussing their next moves. The loss of a member always caused them to meet up and select a new member to be added to their ranks. As it was, there were eight members alive: Pein, Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, and Deidara. Zetsu was their eyes and ears to the outside world, and worked alone. Deidara needed a new partner, and had an idea where he could find one.

Overcoming the shock of losing someone close to him, or at least as close as two S-class missing nin could get, Deidara spoke up. "I have a prospective member," stated Deidara quite plainly. The rest of the Akatsuki turned their attention onto the blonde. He had been missing for a week and had come back with a new member? "His name is Tobi, and he's been traveling with me for the last week that I've been gone."

All at once, the Akatsuki began to talk amongst themselves and shoot questions towards Deidara.

"Is he trustworthy?" asked Kakuzu.

"He's a little slow…I don't think he's really capable of betrayal."

"Is he strong?" asked Kisame with a sneer.

"Yes. He's strong enough to defeat me in one on one combat, though perhaps not as refined as he should be."

"Is he trainable?" All the Akatsuki stopped their banter at the sound of the leader's voice.

"…Yes…it just seems…that bad things happen to those around him. Unlucky things."

"I see."

After it seemed that Pein was satisfied with the answer, the Akatsuki once again began to chatter.

"Special abilities?" asked Hidan.

"None that I know of."

Itachi cleared his throat. Again, a hush came over the eight S-class missing nin. Their fear for the leader only slightly surpassed their fear for the strongest member of them all. "I believe that we must give this "Tobi" a test then. I volunteer to be the administrator."

Kisame began to chuckle. "Haha, then that kid doesn't stand a chance Itachi. Let's make it fair and let Kakuzu give him the test."

Itachi turned his gaze to Kisame, his sharingan spinning wildly. Kisame stopped laughing at once and averted his eyes from Itachi's sharingan eyes. "Ok, Itachi. Give the kid the test, I don't care."

Deidara paled. Usually the test consisted of some kind of mission or survival test. For Hidan it was not to get cut by his scythe for five minutes. For Kakuzu it was to destroy one of his masks. But Itachi was merciless. He would not hold back and would kill Tobi without a second thought. Poor poor Tobi…

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"Ahhh, gimme another old man!" yelled Naruto boisterously as he slurped down the broth of a bowl of ramen. He tossed it onto the growing stack of bowls that teetered dangerously beside him as he grinned at Teuchi. Ichiraku ramen couldn't be beat.

"Anything for my number one customer!" Teuchi yelled over his shoulder as he busied himself making another bowl.

Naruto patted his belly as he sighed contentedly. There was nothing like coming back from a long mission and going straight to Ichiraku's

Thirty minutes and fourteen bowls of ramen later, Naruto waved at Teuchi as he left the small ramen stand. Naruto put his hands behind his head as he walked down the streets of Konoha with a smile on his face. As he walked down the streets, he saw a flash of brown and white. _Tenten!_ He smiled at the thought of his girlfriend. Life was good.

He maneuvered through the crowd until he was able to catch up with her. He quickly slid his hands over her eyes, causing her to flinch, obviously catching her off guard and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Guess who's back?" he called out in a singsong voice. Tenten smiled to herself. Was she making the right choice?

"Naruto!" she turned to face him and slid her face to the side as he moved in to plant a kiss on her lips. Instead, she moved into his body for a hug.

Naruto looked down at her confused, but he wrapped his arms around her too. "Ano…is something wrong Tenten?"

Tenten separated herself from him as she looked at the ground. "You see Naruto…I've been doing a lot of thinking…while you were gone…and…it's just that…"

"Uzumaki."

Tenten jumped at the voice behind her. ANBU.

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Mission briefing in the Hokage tower. Time sensitive." After he relayed that information, the ANBU disappeared in a quick whirl of leaves.

"Another one? Geez, gotta go babe, we'll talk when I get back!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran towards the center of the village.

Tenten stood in the middle of the packed streets, her hands held together in front of her and her head down. Small leaves danced by her feet as a gust of wind blew through the street, making her clothes billow and flutter. "It's just that I think I'm in love with Neji," she whispered to herself, her soft voice lost in the hustle and bustle of the villager's everyday lives.

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"Tobi has to fight that scary man?" Tobi asked, pointing over at Itachi.

"If you want to be in Akatsuki, you have to beat him, yeah! I think you can do it Tobi! Just remember what I taught you, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed cheerfully. To be honest, he just couldn't bring himself to telling poor, innocent Tobi that he was about to die. There was no way he could beat Itachi! Of course…Tobi was a wildcard…who knows? Deidara laughed to himself. Look at him! Actually believing for a second that Tobi could win!

"Are you ready for the test?" asked Itachi, impassively, his black eyes emotionless.

"Tobi's a good boy!"

"…" Itachi looked at the boy, still unreadable, but inside, he was curious. Just who was this boy who could look into his eyes which promised nothing but death and not show fear? Perhaps this would be a worthy adversary after all…

Then, without warning, Itachi flashed forward, a volley of three kunai flying ahead of him at Tobi. "Don't hurt Tobiiiiiiii!" squealed Tobi as he ran in the opposite direction, screeching at the top of his lungs as the kunai and the much deadlier Uchiha approached him. "Tobi's a good boooooooy!"

Itachi sweat dropped as he used a quick shunshin to appear in front of the fleeing Tobi. Tobi, who had been looking over his shoulder at the incoming kunai, impacted into Itachi's chest and fell onto his rear end. Itachi looked down in what seemed like pity at the strange orange masked man. Tobi began to scramble on all fours away from Itachi, but the first of the three kunai embedded itself inches from his face. Tobi turned to his right, only for the second kunai to land, almost slicing his mask in half. Tobi turned to his left, and the last kunai impacted in front of him yet again.

Tobi sweat dropped and slowly turned to look up into the Uchiha's eyes. "TOBI'S A GOOD BOY!" he bellowed at a precise frequency that just happened resonate in a nearby grizzly bear's ears, throwing it into a crazed state.

As Itachi raised a fourth kunai to finish off the orange and black clad maniac, the enraged bear erupted from a nearby bush and tackled Itachi to the ground, taking out its frustration and anger on the nearest living object, which just so happened to be the unfortunate Uchiha. Itachi landed on his face, unprepared for wild animals to make their sudden appearance in the test. The bear then continued to swing its massive claws at Itachi, who was eventually able to squirm out of the bear's grip, albeit, with some injuries.

"What the hell?" muttered Hidan, his jaw, along with most of the other Akatsuki's jaws, on the floor.

"Did…did Tobi do that?" asked Kisame, eyes wide as he watched the bear rear back on its hind legs.

Itachi rolled to avoid a claw swipe and slid a kunai from his sleeve into his hand. As the bear charged him, bloodlust filling its eyes, Itachi aimed his deadly kunai at the crazed bear. One shot should do it… However, just as Itachi began to flick his wrist to launch the deadly projectile, Tobi slammed his shoulder into Itachi, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Don't hurt bear-san! BEAR-SAN IS A GOOD BOY TOO!"

Itachi was knocked to the ground for the second time that battle. The unfamiliar sensation was beginning to really get on his nerves. The Akatsuki took a collective gasp as they saw Itachi's face as he lifted himself up. His usually impassive face was contorted into an expression of rage that promised death to anyone who got in his way. But what really frightened them was not his expression. No, it was his eyes. The Mangekyo Sharingan.

As he looked at Tobi, malice and killer intent leaking from every pore of his body, Tobi cheerfully began to chat incessantly. "Ooh! Itachi-san! Itachi-san! You have these really cool things in your eyes! You HAVE to see them! Here, I'll show you what they look like!" he babbled, rummaging through his weapons pouch.

"Tsukuyomi."

"Here!" yelled Tobi, looking up and holding a mirror out in front of him to show Itachi his new marvelous eyes.

Then, after a short pause, Itachi fell to the ground, motionless. The mirror had reflected his attack back at him, forcing him into the same torturous experience that he was just about to subject Tobi to.

"What…the…fuck…" mumbled Hidan, his brain going into shock.

"…Tobi is the winner…" Pein said, the least affected out of all of the Akatsuki members. He was shocked, but refused to show his disbelief. Silently, he motioned to Konan and walked away.

Tobi looked up from poking Itachi with a stick. "Tobi's a good boy!" he yelled, giving Deidara two thumbs up.

Deidara couldn't decide whether to kill the orange clad man just because he had the ability to defeat THE Uchiha Itachi, or to hug him. He settled for staring and drooling.

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"Hey! Tsunade-obaachan!" Naruto yelled boisterously as he entered the Hokage Tower. Shikamaru followed him through the door, hands in his pockets and yawning deeply.

"That's Hokage-sama to you Naruto…" muttered Tsunade, busy filling out a form on her desk. After so many years of being subject to Naruto's nickname, her scolding was simply a habit she had developed.

"Hai, Hokage-sama…what's the mission?" asked Shikamaru.

"Cutting straight to the point I see. The mission you are assigned is a covert operations mission. You are to infiltrate and observe one of Orochimaru's bases that we have gotten information on."

Naruto's ears immediately perked up at the sound of the sannin's name. "The snake bastard? We'll take it!"

Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Kousou missions are not up to you to accept or not. Anything I say goes, and since Kousou is a special task force of the Hokage, you cannot decline my orders. Furthermore the mission is to infiltrate the base and OBSERVE Naruto, and that's IT. I don't want to hear any reports of strange, unexplainable explosions in Rice Country while you're there, got it?"

"Hai!" Naruto yelled dramatically, saluting with flourish. Tsunade rolled her eyes and tossed Shikamaru a manila folder.

"There's the information Shikamaru. Keep the idiot in line, and good luck."

"Arigato Hokage-sama. We'll do our best." Shikamaru walked out of the office, followed closely by Naruto.

"So Shika, what's the mission look like? Is it a good one?"

Shikamaru cursed his luck in getting the loudest of the Kousou on his team. "It's a good one," he responded plainly. "Pack for a four day trip Naruto. Greens, browns, and blacks, it's a covert mission, ok?"

"You got it Shika!" yelled Naruto over his shoulder as he ran to his apartment. "I'll meet you back at the gates in ten!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome."

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10 Minutes Later

Naruto approached the gates and saw Shikamaru waiting in the shade of a nearby tree. "OK Shika! All set!"

"OK. The target is two days away. When we get within four hours of the target, we will maintain complete silence."

"HAI!" Naruto yelled.

"You can't yell like that Naruto…you'll alert the enemy to our location…"

"I KNOW, I'M JUST GETTING IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome…Let's move."

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One Day Later

"….SIX THOUSAND AND FIFTEY FOUR BOTTLES OF SAKE ON THE WALL, SIX THOUSAND AND FIFTEY FOUR BOTTLES OF SAKEEEE! YOU TAKE ONE DOWN; PASS IT AROUND! SIX THOUSAND AND FIFTEY THREE BOTTLES OF SAKE ON THE WAAAAAAAAAAALL!"

"This is hell."

"SIX THOUSAND AND FIFTEY THREE BOTTLES OF…what was that Shikamaru?"

"Nothing."

"SAKE ON THE WALL…."

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Two Days Later

"ONE BOTTLE OF SAKE ON THE WALL, ONE BOTTLE OF SAKEEEE! YOU TAKE IT DOWN; PASS IT AROUND!"

Shikamaru smiled to himself. They were exactly four hours away from the supposed location of the hidden base. "Initiate complete silence." _Finally…_

"…no bottles of sake on the wall," whispered Naruto to himself as they continued. While he enjoyed messing with Shikamaru, he would never endanger the mission with his mind games. Yes, that was one of his many hobbies, one of the ones he picked up while travelling with Jiraiya. Poor, poor Jiraiya.

As the two shadows dashed through the rice fields of Rice Country, almost no sound was made, only the occasional rustle of the grass, until finally, they reached the specified location.

Shikamaru held up a fist, the signal for a halt. Naruto skidded to a stop beside Shikamaru. "What's wrong Shika?" whispered Naruto.

"It's almost dark. I'm going to activate a special genjutsu to hide us." Shikamaru flashed through a few seals and a black color filled his eyes. "Shadow Walking," he muttered. Naruto watched in shock as their own shadows rose from the ground and covered them, making them completely covered in black. Naruto had to squint to actually see Shikamaru's body against the dark surroundings.

"This is a special genjutsu Naruto. It's a self sustaining jutsu, which means that it feeds on your chakra to keep itself active. As long as you're alive, it will stay active. Nothing short of you blowing up all of your chakra will make it disappear. In fact, it's so hard to detect on someone that even the person that it's affecting sometimes doesn't know that they have a genjutsu on them."

"Cool…" muttered Naruto as he waved his own hand in front of his face.

"Ok, let's move. The base is two clicks to the north."

The two shinobi moved like shadows…literally. In the blackness of night, they were near invisible. Naruto's jaw clenched as the base came into sight. It was a small outpost, with two or three guards at the main gate. Chunnin, most likely. He glanced over to Shikamaru…or what he thought was Shikamaru, and saw the outline of a fist. Naruto nodded emphatically so that Shikamaru could see that he understood and then disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Naruto reappeared in the top branches of the tree they had been crouched under. He pulled out a small pair of binoculars and began to scope out the base. Yep. Three chunnin on the main gate with several other genin and chunnin patrolling the inside. There was something in there that Orochimaru didn't want discovered.

Naruto used a quick shunshin back to ground level where Shikamaru was waiting. "Just as we thought, they have way too many guards to take out without alerting the base."

"I see. Plan B then," Shikamaru whispered. Shikamaru pulled out his two knives and began to channel chakra as discreetly as he could. "Hanzatsu…release." As he slammed the hilts of his two trench knives together, the blades quickly formed Shikamaru's released Hanzatsu, a long black katana radiating what seemed to be shadow energy. "Kage Ninpo: Hayameni (Ahead of Time)!" Shikamaru looked at Naruto who simply nodded. He had sent several kage bunshin into the forest and set the necessary seals around the complex, which made it possible for Shikamaru to utilize his greatest weapon: time itself.

As Shikamaru activated his jutsu, black beams of energy shot from several points around the complex and joined directly above it, creating an outline of a half sphere. Then, the spaces in between the beams filled in and the area in front of Naruto and Shikamaru became a black sphere. At once, everyone in the complex froze. Time in the shadow sphere stopped moving, and only Shikamaru himself could manipulate it. Shikamaru grabbed Naruto and pulled him into the sphere, dashing towards the center of the base. Once inside, Naruto stopped in wonder at the strange new surroundings. Everything was black, with only slight white borders around objects. It was like seeing the world if it was a negative of a photo.

"We don't have much time Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled, interrupting Naruto's shock. "I can't sustain this large of a radius for long, and your presence simply complicates matters!" Shikamaru yelled as they ran full speed down the corridor of what seemed to be a lab of some sort. "Right!"

Naruto immediately turned to his right and they continued down the new branch off. "Wait!" yelled Naruto, stopping dead in his tracks.

Shikamaru too stopped, looking at Naruto expectantly. "What is it Naruto?"

"I…smell something…familiar. Come on! This way!" he yelled.

They ran down the hallway and took several turns, but eventually, they entered a huge chamber that glowed with an eerie green light. Shikamaru looked around in wonder at the sheer complexity of the chamber. Computers lined the sides of the walls completely, with hundreds of screens and monitors on the walls. But what was most captivating was what was in the center of the room. Machines and tubes came from the ceiling and floor to converge on a single glass cylinder. It was filled with a liquid that seemed to be the source of the dull green glow that filled the laboratory. However, that was not what Naruto had smelled. Inside of the green liquid was a familiar figure. The last Kaguya. "Kaguya Kimimaro…" gasped Naruto under his breath. Shikamaru only looked at him in confusion.

"Who is that?" he asked, sweat drops forming on his forehead from the strain of keeping such a powerful jutsu active.

"He…he was going to be the vessel of Orochimaru, but had some kind of crazy disease. It took both Gaara and Rock Lee to just slow him down and stall him long enough for him to die of whatever was killing him from the inside…but…but he's still alive…"

"It looks like this base's purpose is to heal Orochimaru's next host. The Kaguya bloodline is a deadly one, from what I've read. Now come on, we have to go."

"Leave? We can't leave! We have to kill this bastard before Orochimaru-teme takes his body and his bloodline!"

"Naruto! Hokage-sama explicitly told us to infiltrate and observe! We can't act outside her orders!"

"I'm no one's lackey Shikamaru! The orders she gave means shit to me right now! You know that we can't afford to let him live!"

"That may be so, but if we can escape without being detected, then I swear to you that I'll get Hokage-sama to send a team to destroy this base. As it is right now, we have less than two minutes to escape before my technique runs out!"

Naruto looked towards the glass cylinder and then back to his friend. It was obvious by his demeanor and body language that he was in serious pain from the effort of keeping his Hayameni technique protecting them from discovery.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Naruto said blandly, running towards the door, followed closely by Shikamaru.

The two ran and ran, but as they reached the final hallway, the hallway suddenly became the right color again, instead of the black and white that they had become accustomed to.

"Shit!" yelled Shikamaru as he continued to run. Just twenty more meters…fifteen…ten…

However, as they neared the exit, a person walked out of a hallway into their path. Naruto crashed into him heavily and they both fell to the ground. Shikamaru gripped his trench knives. They had been discovered.

"Hmm? Intruders? How did you get in here?" The man waited for an answer but got none from the black silhouettes that he could see before him. "No matter." The man was obviously some kind of scientist, judging by his long white lab coat and clipboard. The scientist watched in amusement as one of the black figures fell to one knee. "I see you are quite exhausted from whatever you did to get in here. I commend you for your effort, but I'm sorry to say that I cannot allow you to live." However, his eyes widened as he instinctively moved his body to the side. A black trench knife buried itself in his side, narrowly missing his heart. The man fell to the ground, and cursed at his enemies.

Then, the second of the two figures dashed forward, fist drawn back. The scientist only chuckled at his arrogance. "My my, aren't you a hot head? Rushing into battle when your friend is a sitting duck!" As he said that, he threw a senbon at the first of the black figures, who was on his hands and knees, obviously completely immobilized from chakra exhaustion. He had to admit, the disguise technique that they were using was quite effective, not only as a stealth measure, but also as a combat technique. It made it very hard for him to distinguish different body parts, but he was reasonably sure he had thrown the needle at his enemy's neck, one of the body's vital spots.

Instantly, the one who had been recklessly charging him turned around and flash stepped in front of his downed friend, grabbing the senbon out of the air and throwing it into the wall. Naruto glared at the downed sound nin, a red tint in his eyes, the only thing visible through the genjutsu disguise.

Shikamaru gently tugged on Naruto's shirt, trying to keep him focused. "Naruto…we gotta get out of here!" he urged, before passing out completely. Naruto nodded and began to form hand seals. The sound nin noticed and began his own set of hand seals.

Naruto finished moments before the sound nin and called out his jutsu. "Sunaarashi (Sandstorm)!" Instantly, gale force winds began to swirl around in the small hallway that they occupied, picking up sand that had appeared on the ground and creating a miniature sandstorm. The sound nin finished his seals just as the sandstorm began and called out his attack. But the sound of the winds completely muffled his voice, and when the small tornado finally died down, the two intruders were gone.

The sound nin slowly began to limp back into the laboratory, and pulled the black knife out of his side, a fountain of blood leaking into his jacket. _A chakra enhanced knife? No…there's something more to this weapon…and I intend to find out what._

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"C'mon Shika! Wake up!" yelled Naruto as he jumped from tree branch to tree branch at a frantic pace.

Naruto had removed their disguises as they ran and was happy to see Shikamaru's eyelids flutter for a second before opening in startled shock.

"What happened?"

"We got out, but they have to be following us. Can you run?"

"I think so." Naruto stopped on a branch and put Shikamaru down. As they once again began dashing from tree branch to tree branch, Shikamaru suddenly remembered something. "Naruto, we have to get back to Konoha, I think I may have made a mistake…"

"Mistake?"

"Did you…happen to get my knife back?"

"Oh shit."

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"Tobi likes his new ring! Don't you like it Deidara-sempai?" Tobi asked, shoving his hand into Deidara's face.

Deidara made a face and pushed Tobi's appendage away. "Yeah Tobi, it's great. Now come on, we have a mission to complete."

"Oh, you're so smart Deidara-sempai! Tobi wishes he could be half as smart as Deidara-sempai! Even one fourth!"

Deidara scoffed. Tobi and him were currently on their first official Akatsuki mission together, and things were not going well. They were supposed to kill a big clan of strong missing nin who were trying to form their own organization that would rival Akatsuki. Sounded easy enough, but some guy who was a master at fuuinjutsu had sealed his hands and now he might as well be useless.

"Tobi, keep it down! Those guys are coming back!"

"Don't worry, Tobi will protect you! BECAUSE TOBI'S A GOOD BOY!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, striking a pose at the same time.

"Hey, they're over there! Get those Akatsuki bastards!" yelled one of the missing nin.

"Oops." Deidara sweat dropped at the sheer idiocy of his orange clad teammate. Deidara watched as the missing nin swarmed their location. _So this is the end huh?_

"Don't fear! Tobi is here!" yelled his lunatic sidekick. Deidara looked at Tobi who stood in a half crouch, his hands flashing through hundreds of hand seals at breakneck speeds. Deidara couldn't even keep up with half of the seals being formed and could only wonder at what kind of ace Tobi had hidden up his sleeves. "Tobi Ninpo: Good Boy no jutsu!" he yelled, clapping his hands together mightily, creating a miniature shockwave in the air. And nothing happened. Deidara sweat dropped again, ashamed at himself for expecting something amazing.

But then, as death seemed imminent, with the missing nin mere feet from their position, the earth in front of them simply sucked everyone before them into the ground, removing any trace that there was ever a threat. A moment passed where Tobi and Deidara just stared at the now empty space before them before Tobi began to break out into his celebratory dance and Deidara began to check the ground for any sign of the missing nin they were assigned to kill.

"Holy shit Tobi…what was that?"

Tobi stopped his herky jerky dancing for a moment to shrug his shoulders. "Tobi doesn't know!"

"What? What do you mean you don't know!? What was that technique!?"

"Tobi just made random hand seals and used a bunch of chakra!"

"…."

"Tobi's a good boy!"

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One Day Later

Naruto and Shikamaru appeared before the gates of Konoha and dropped to their knees. It had been a long, hard journey, but they had made it. They had to warn Tsunade that one, well, half, of one of the Kousou swords had been lost.

Shikamaru looked up at the gate in confusion. "Something's wrong here…why is the gate closed. And why is it so quiet?" Naruto perked his ears up at Shikamaru's pondering. He was right. It was midday and usually the village was bursting with the sound of people doing their day's work. And the gate was never closed, unless there was some kind of war…or epidemic.

Shikamaru made a quick motion to his mouth, signaling Naruto to go into a complete silence. Naruto nodded and ran to the wall, pressing himself up against it. Shikamaru followed a moment later. Shikamaru pointed up to the sky and Naruto nodded yet again. They had been practicing their silent communication during their free time and had gotten quite good at it. Silently, they both climbed the wall, using their hands and feet covered in chakra to stick to the wall

When they reached the top, they saw a figure with his back to them. Shikamaru glanced at Naruto and Naruto formed several shadow clones. Several dashed in different directions while a few stayed and surrounded the person in front of them. Naruto glanced at Shikamaru, signaling that his clones were in place. "Hello?" asked Shikamaru, still crouched warily in his battle stance. His voice made the man in front of them turn, and both gasped at the sight. Some of the attributes seemed familiar, while the other attributes just made their lives seem like nightmares. Brown hair, tied up in a spiky knot. Leaf forehead protector. Chunnin flak jacket. Scar running across his nose. White, dead eyes. Pale, wrinkled skin. Open mouth with drool coming from it.

"Aaaaargggggh!" the monster yelled. Both Naruto and Shikamaru drew back at the ear piercing scream.

"Is…is that Iruka?" asked Naruto silently. Iruka ran forward, his arms held out trying to grab Naruto, but he nimbly dodged out of the way, kicking the zombie off the top of the wall. "Sorry Iruka…" muttered Naruto.

"It seems like there's been some kind of disease...come, let's see if we can find someone who can tell us what's going on."

The two jumped over Iruka and dashed across the rooftops of the village. It was surreal; there were no people in the streets, no people in the stores. The only signs of life were the occasional cat or dog that would walk across the empty streets. Naruto dispelled his clones and his eyes widened at his newfound knowledge. "Shika…the whole village is like this…"

"This is impossible. What kind of poison can make people into mindless zombies? I've never heard of anything with those properties…It must be Orochimaru's doing. Or Akatsuki. Hell, it could be any one of the other hidden villages; we're not really on good terms with any of them except Suna."

"What do we do?"

"Let's go see if the Hokage is alright…she IS an expert on poisons. Maybe she was able to protect herself from the effects."

"Good idea."

Naruto and Shikamaru landed inside the Hokage's office moments later. The chair was turned to them, and the dared not approach any closer. "Baa-chan?" Naruto asked quietly.

In a split second, the chair spun around and a fist plowed through them, blowing the two figures into smoke. Nearby on a rooftop, Naruto and Shikamaru watched in horror as Tsunade looked around in confusion. She too had the same dead eyes and grey skin that the rest of the villagers had. And if the Poison Mistress herself was infected…then what hope did they have?

Shikamaru looked at Naruto, his eyes wide. "This is not good Naruto."

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Meh. I had to change some stuff around, and sorry about this update, it took freakin forever. Some real progress has been made though!

And, here's one of the sword summaries:

Hotaru (Firefly): This is Ino's sword, which reflects not only her fire affinity, but also her own fiery personality. In its released form, it no longer is a blade of wood and steel, but a blade of fire. In addition, it can absorb any fire attack and return it at its user, but at triple the strength, an ability she calls "Okibi", or "Blazing Fire". Any other abilities of Hotaru are as of yet unknown.


	21. Chapter 20: Epidemic Part 2

_It's the fourth day since me and Shikamaru got back to Konoha…or whatever's left of it. We've been on the run nonstop. Last night, we spent the night up on the Hokage Mountain, but somehow they found us. Again. We escaped, but now we have to be twice as careful, we can't get caught unawares like that again. What's perhaps even more unnerving is the fact that I saw some of the Kousou among the assailants. It sickens me to see them like that, but Shika says that he's working on an antidote; it's just going to take time. God…we still have no idea what happened…It's just like we left Konoha a healthy, vibrant village, and returned to this…ghost town. Got hit by a Gatsuuga today. Strange that they can still use techniques, they must still have some kind of awareness beneath all that rage. But at least that means that they're still in there…somewhere. Kyuubi won't talk to me for some reason either, but I'm still healing pretty quickly. Hiding out in the Forest of Death right now, but this isn't going to work out for long. The place is too dangerous, even for people at our level. I don't even know how we survived it when we were genin. Dear God, I'm surprised half of the kids didn't get killed by those giant rabid squirrels. That Anko chick is a psycho. Damn. It's almost night. Night is when they come out the most. I'm guessing it's because they think that we'll lower our guards at night, or be too tired to do anything about it. We're going to hide out in my apartment tonight. No one lives in that building except for me anyways…Sun's going down, will write more tomorrow…If we're still alive. P.S. Sorry for being so negative._

Naruto snapped his small book closed and slipped it and his pen into his special black chunnin flak jacket with a single green leaf emblem his shoulder, signifying his membership in the Kousou. He glanced over to his partner, who sat completely still under a tree, with his eyes closed, and his hands held out in front of him with only the tips of his fingertips touching. He had been in his thinking position for the last few hours. Naruto sighed as he watched his teammate desperately searching for a solution for their predicament. The setting sun cast a golden glow on Shikamaru and in any other situation, Naruto may have thought that such an image was the epitome of peace. But he knew better. Shikamaru wasn't in a state of inner peace. Rather, the image that Naruto took in was an image of inner turmoil. A state of desperation, worry, and fear. Naruto took a glance towards the village…his village. Villagers…or whatever was left of them under all that gruesome

"Shikamaru, it's almost dark," Naruto whispered quietly.

Shikamaru opened his eyes, revealing a hardened and determined expression, one that Naruto shared. "Right. Let's get moving."

The two moved through the village like wraiths, moving from one area of cover to the next. With the sun so low, shadows of the village stretched long, giving Shikamaru the advantage in stealth. He used his Shadow Walking technique yet again and the two black blurs made their way swiftly and silently to the rundown apartment where no one lived but Naruto.

Along the way, they saw several of the infected villagers wandering their way through the streets with no apparent purpose. Every time one of those emotionless white faces looked towards them, Naruto's heart skipped a beat. Not only for fear of discovery but also in sadness that his village had been 

degraded so much. In fact, he was surprised that no other rival village had attacked during Konoha's time of weakness.

When the building was in sight, the two almost breathed a sigh of relief. However, just as relief began to fill their hearts, the ground before them exploded into a shower of pebbles and debris. Both leapt back by instinct, avoiding injury, but behind them a double layered tripwire had been set. They both noticed the first wire, expertly twisting their bodies and shifting their feet to avoid it, but were caught unaware by the second wire, painted black and hiding in the shadow of the first wire.

"What the hell…?" sputtered Naruto as he fell backwards, landing heavily on his back. A thump to his left indicated that Shikamaru was in the same position as he was. Then, before they could scramble to their feet, large, green vines burst from the street floor, holding them tightly to the ground with their arms pinned uselessly at their sides.

Out of a nearby alley two figures walked out slowly. One of the figures Naruto didn't recognize. His face was bordered by a metal helmet of sorts, and he also held his hands in a seal. Obviously, he was the one who used this strange technique that Naruto and Shikamaru were currently trying their hardest to free themselves from. But try as they may, the vines were like steel and would not budge even an inch for Naruto or Shikamaru to squirm out of.

The second of the two figures caused Naruto to stop in his struggling. Naruto's expression turned from frustration at the trap to complete despair at the sight of the one who had set up the expert tripwire and hidden explosive tag. Tenten.

"Nononononono…" he whispered to himself over and over again. The two figures slowly made their way over to Naruto and Shikamaru. Tenten began to reach her hand towards Naruto's face, but in that second, two things happened.

First, a voice rang out clearly in the small street.

"Kagemane no jutsu, successful."

Secondly, the Shikamaru that was covered in vines disappeared in a small pop of smoke.

Tenten's fingers stopped inches from Naruto's face as she was captured by Shikamaru's shadow replication technique. For a second, Naruto swore he could see a flash of sadness in Tenten's face, but in an instant the expressionless dead face returned. The vines loosened and Naruto ripped out of the now ordinary vines, no longer infused with chakra. He glanced over to the alley that Tenten and the vine user had come from, seeing Shikamaru standing there calmly, his hands held out in the last seal of the Kagemane. Naruto quickly stood and flash stepped to his side.

"Which one are you going to take Shika?" he asked in a soft whisper.

"We'll take the man. He seems skilled and one less strong person out on the streets trying to find us is a good thing."

Naruto nodded in agreement and flash stepped behind Tenten, carefully knocking her out with a single chop to the neck. The other man roared as Naruto and Shikamaru approached him carefully.

Shikamaru furrowed his brow and a single drop of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Ungh…he's struggling." Naruto nodded in understanding and chopped the man in the neck as well, sending him into the same unconsciousness that had claimed Tenten.

Shikamaru released his technique, allowing the two to fall to the ground, previously held up standing by his Kagemane. Naruto softly approached Tenten but Shikamaru called out to him before he could get too close.

"Naruto, leave her. We have to keep moving. There could be more in the area."

Naruto sighed in longing. If only things were back to what they were before. He nodded silently and the two of them disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

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Deidara looked up at the dark clouds in the sky as rain began to fall heavily. A bad omen. Deidara moved underneath a nearby tree to escape the torrential rain that had come so suddenly. He spotted his idiot teammate crawling on all fours out in the rain and mud doing whatever Tobi did in his free time. The one thing that Deidara was sure of was that it would annoy him. It always did.

"Tobi, get over here!"

Tobi looked up from his makeshift bouquet of flowers and saw Deidara calling for him.

"Deidara-sempai! Look what I made for you! Isn't it pretty? I think I'm an artist too!" Tobi squealed, running to his blonde-haired partner, shoving his handful of wet weeds and flowers into Deidara's face.

"Oh HELL no!" Deidara exclaimed, violently slapping the vegetation to the ground. "You are NOT an artist! That would be a disgrace to me and Sasori-danna!" He said his former partner's name with respect, as he had always done, in life, and in death.

"But Tobi's a good boy!" Tobi whined, letting his arms hang loosely at his sides while his body drooped.

"But Tobi's NOT an artist! Now come on! We have a meeting with Zetsu!"

"Zetsu-chan! He's the guy who looks like a big plant, right?"

"Right Tobi. And it would probably be best if you didn't call him Zetsu-chan either. Be more respectful to your Akatsuki higher ups!"

"Hai hai," Tobi said, waving his hand at his blonde haired partner. The two walked a bit until they reached a small cluster of trees.

"Ok, here's the place. Now we wait."

Tobi got down on his hands and knees as he began scrounging for new stalks of anything that appealed to him. "Maybe Zetsu-kun will appreciate my flower art!"

"No, he won't, and stop saying his name so casually! Zetsu is the eyes and ears of our organization and without him we wouldn't be able to operate as efficiently, so that means that he's yours and MY higher up, got it? Seeing as you're my partner and my student, what you do reflects on me, yeah? So do what I say and we'll both be ok!"

"Ok Deidara-sempai! Tobi will remember! Tobi's a good boy!"

"Ohayo, Deidara-san."

The two who had previously been yelling ceased their argument immediately and looked up at the mysterious Akatsuki member who never worked with a partner. Zetsu. Third in command of the Akatsuki and third also in terms of strength. From what Deidara had heard (he, and most of the Akatsuki, had never seen him in action), Zetsu had powers similar to the first Hokage of Konoha. But no one really knew.

"Ohayo, Zetsu-sama," Deidara called out calmly. It was the white side that had spoken so far, and it was always safe to act very respectfully to the seemingly bipolar Akatsuki member. When the black side of Zetsu started talking, it was time to run.

"Ohayo Zetsu-donoooo!" yelled Tobi at the top of his lungs with his hands cupped around his mouth. Deidara cringed at the volume of his loud partner and punched him in the back of the head.

"Dammit Tobi! Why are you yelling so loud?!" the blonde hissed as Tobi rubbed the back of his head.

"Deidara-sempai, why are you talking so quietly?! Zetsu-sempai has no ears!" whispered Tobi to Deidara.

Deidara opened his mouth but no words came out. He coughed, and again opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came from his throat. His eyes widened. He was literally speechless.

"It's ok Deidara-sempai! I'll talk extra loud for Zetsu-sama since you can't talk! Ohayo Zetsu-sensei!"

"You are…Tobi, are you not?"

"Hai!" Tobi yelled as he snapped his heels together and gave an exaggerated salute.

"I see. Deidara, what is the report of the missing-nin organization you were told to destroy?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Tobi cried, raising his hand as far in the air as he could, hopping up and down on one foot. "Tobi knows! Tobi knows! Ask Tobi!"

Seeing as Deidara was still speechless (now just staring blankly off into space), Zetsu nodded silently to Tobi.

"Tobi used his new original jutsu to KILL THEM ALL! AHAHAHAHAH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" he cackled maniacally to the heavens as thunder rolled and lightning struck behind him.

Zetsu sweat dropped. That mood swing rivaled his own dual personality. This Tobi character truly was a strange one. Perhaps he should tell Pein about the strange member…it was, after all, his job to alert their leader of potential threats.

"Eek, a squirrel!" cried Tobi, jumping several feet and latching onto Deidara. Deidara snapped out of his stupor at this contact and immediately elbowed Tobi in the face.

"Baka! What the hell do you think you're doing grabbing onto me like that Tobi?!"

"But…but…Tobi saw a squirrel!"

"I don't care if you saw the Yondaime Hokage coming at us with a legion of Hiraishin kunai at his back, you DON'T. TOUCH. ME."

"Tobi's starting to think you don't like him very much," Tobi huffed, crossing his arms indignantly.

"First intelligent thing I've ever heard you say Tobi…" muttered Deidara.

"Eek! A squirrel!"

Deidara deadpanned as Tobi again leapt into his arms, frantically craning his neck to find the elusive squirrel that tormented him so.

"GET OFF MEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Deidara screamed as he hurled Tobi towards the nearest tree. Tobi collided heavily and slid down the trunk, his legs dangling in the air and his head pointed to the ground.

"Couldn't you go check Deidara-sempai? Please? Tobi is scared for his life!" whined Tobi, still upside down.

Deidara glared at the orange and black clad man. "If I go check and there's no squirrel, are you gonna fucking grab onto me again?"

"Tobi wouldn't dream of it! Tobi's a good boy!"

Deidara raised his eyebrows but said nothing more. Huffing, he turned towards the tree line behind the trio and began to walk towards it, mumbling profanities about his meaningless task. Of course there weren't squirrels out to get Tobi! And even if there were, Tobi was pretty tough. What the hell was his deal with squirrels anyway? Traumatic experience? And now he was getting wet, searching for imaginary squirrels that were apparently dead set on killing Tobi. Tobi sighed as a loud burst of thunder exploded in his ears. At the same time, lightning struck, illuminating the dreary forest in an unnaturally white light. The area of impact was apparently right behind him, as the force of the explosion actually lifted him off his feet and blew him into the nearest tree where he held on for dear life. The wind and 

debris continued to blow, several second after the lightning had struck. After the miniature storm had subsided, Deidara sank to the ground, looking at the crater several feet in front of him.

"What the HELL?!" yelled Deidara, his ears still ringing from the deafening thunder and subsequent explosion. "What kind of FUCKING lightning was that!? Fucking blew a fucking crater into the ground, fucking made me deaf, and FUCKING LASTED FOR EIGHT SECONDS!" Deidara stopped his rant and glanced around. "Tobi? Zetsu-sama?"

A voice came from above him, making him jump a little. "Whoo! What a BIG lightning bolt! Blew Zetsu-chan to smithereens! Wow!" Tobi clung desperately to the branch of the tree Deidara too had held onto during the explosion.

"What?! Zetsu's DEAD?!"

"Tobi found his ring!"

"Where?"

"It's in Tobi's nose!"

"…How did it get there?"

"Tobi doesn't know!"

"Tobi, you have a fucking mask on, how the hell did it get in your nose?"

"Tobi's mask fell off! And then the lightning struck! Maybe Tobi has magic powers! OoOoOoOoOoOohhhhhh!" Tobi waved his hands mystically at Deidara.

"Shut up Tobi…" Deidara muttered. By now, it had become a habit. Deidara shook his head, still in unbelief. "Holy shit! Zetsu's dead! We've gotta tell Pein!" yelled Deidara as he ran off.

"I hope Tobi doesn't hurt him with his magic too!" Tobi cheerfully said, sliding down the trunk of the tree. Tobi paused as he looked at the crater where the tree that Zetsu had stood on once was. As soon as Deidara was out of ear shot, he pat himself on the back. "Tobi's a good boy..."

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Naruto watched anxiously as Shikamaru slid his glowing hands over the tied up leaf-nin. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Shikamaru sighed and released his diagnostic jutsu.

"Well Shika? What's the verdict?" he asked immediately.

Shikamaru sighed again, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "I'm no medic-nin, but from what that basic diagnostic jutsu told me, they're under the influence of some kind of water-borne virus."

"That's pretty good Shika, maybe you should be a medic-nin after all!" Naruto said cheerfully.

Shikamaru smirked and shook his head. "I'm sure you could have done a comparable job Naruto. After all, we know it's water-borne, seeing as we're not catching anything from contact with them, and it's not air-borne, seeing as we're not getting sick from the air we breathe. Just be thankful that we brought so much water in canteens for our mission."

"Well, do you know if you can fix it?" Naruto asked with a bit of hope.

Shikamaru paused, thinking it over. "Ye-…well…Yes. I believe I can. What I'm going to have to do is create my own virus, one that will infect the Konoha population."

"What!?" yelled Naruto, jumping off his chair in alarm. "Isn't that kind of counter-productive?"

"Well, you see, here's my hypothesis. This virus is infecting them, but our bodies know when things aren't right. So, maybe this virus has a certain way of blocking the body from realizing it's being infected by this virus. So, if we create our own virus, something that can contaminate the population, then their bodies will react to THAT virus, and hopefully, in reacting to that virus and creating extra white blood cells, it too will fight the first virus."

Naruto nodded, trying to understand it all at once. "You seem hesitant, what's bothering you. Seems like a good plan!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, we have to be able to decide what virus to release into the populace. It can't be insignificant, because basically the antibodies and disease fighting substances their bodies are creating are going to be fighting TWO viruses. But we don't want it to be too strong either, because then the body could get overwhelmed. It's a bit of a predicament…"

"But…you'll figure it out, right Shika?"

"Again, I'm no medic-nin, so this isn't my specialty, but yes; I do think that with enough time, I'll figure it out."

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!"

The wall of their hideout shattered in a splintery mess as two spinning vortexes blew their way through it.

"Shit!" yelled Shikamaru. Glancing over to where Naruto was trying to pick up the leaf-nin, Shikamaru shouted, "Naruto, forget the guy, we got what we needed from him!"

Naruto nodded and formed several kage bunshin without using seals. Each scattered, running in different directions through Konoha. Shikamaru simply touched the wall and disappeared into its shadow. Kiba looked around, before giving out a bellow and checking the leaf-nin who was already struggling against his bonds.

Naruto and Shikamaru met back up in an alley they had decided upon earlier as their rendezvous point if they should get separated.

"Naruto, I think I got it. I just need a few hours to complete the virus."

Naruto smiled. This was it. Just a few hours before they could cure the village.

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"Hidan, stop fooling around," grouched the large man covered in robes. Hidan lay on the ground with a sword through his stomach, completing his ritual to Jashin. "I want to get this missing-nin. He's got quite the bounty on his head."

"Yeah yeah, just hold on a minute. How come you have to disturb me when I'm doing my ritual to Jashin-sama? Don't you know that this is a holy and pure time?"

Kakuzu looked down at the shirtless man who lay bleeding in the middle of a large seal smeared in the blood of his last kill, the missing-nin who now lay headless at his feet. Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Yes, holy and pure, now get on with it."

Hidan glared at Kakuzu before he removed the sword and stood up. He slid his Akatsuki robes back on and picked up his scythe. "Ok, I can finish the ritual after we get that other missing-nin. Let's go Kakuzu."

Kakuzu nodded and leapt into the trees, Hidan hot on his heels. "The next target is quite formidable, if what the information I received is credible. Kage level, at least. Master of wind and fire, as well as master of his own taijutsu form. He calls himself the "Rising Dragon". How cliché."

Hidan nodded, licking his lips at the prospect of killing a strong opponent. His last kill had left a bad taste in his mouth. How a missing-nin could survive out in the wild being so weak completely astounded him. But that was how the world worked for missing-nins. Eat or be eaten. The strong preyed on the weak for money, until one even stronger came along and became the new predator.

After several minutes of high speed travel, Kakuzu came to a stop. "My info says he's in this town. Generally, he's at his dojo, training the villagers to protect themselves. The dojo is at the far north of the town; from here on, we travel in silence." Kakuzu vanished in a blur of speed followed immediately by Hidan.

They landed on the roof of the dojo simultaneously, jumped down to the door, and knocked. After all, their team wasn't dubbed the "Immortals" for nothing. Their jobs were carried out with a bluntness that teams such as Itachi and Kisame lacked. Hidan smirked, the anticipation of battle almost more than he could handle. But no one answered. Kakuzu sneered. "Playing hard to get, hm?" he mocked, kicking in the door.

As they stepped in, they noticed a slight squishing noise. The floor was slick with blood. After their eyes had adjusted to the dark room, they noticed a single figure sitting next to what seemed to be the corpse of their target. Perhaps more disturbing was that the floor was littered with the bodies of villagers, weapons clutched in their hands, even in death.

"My my, it seems you've come too late," came a soft voice.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "You have something that belongs to us."

"I'm sorry, but finders keepers my good Akatsuki."

"How the fuck do you know about us?!" yelled Hidan rashly.

"Oh, I know a lot about you, Hidan. And you're partner too," said the mysterious figure, still shrouded in shadow.

"Then you know that we're not ones to be trifled with," interjected Kakuzu before Hidan could respond. "Hand over the missing-nins head and we'll be on our way."

"I think not. I think what's going to happen is that I'm going to walk out that door. If you're alive when I do that…well, that's up to you."

This time, Kakuzu couldn't respond before his hot headed partner began to yell. "Don't try to pull the tough guy routine on me! I'll fucking kill you!"

"For Jashin?" the man asked mockingly, followed by a slight chuckle. "My my, aren't you the comic. Now leave me be child, or are you going to throw a temper tantrum?"

"Fuck you!" Hidan yelled as he hurled his scythe at the man. The man simply raised his arm, and caught the blade with his hand, resulting in a sharp metal on metal sound. He shifted his arms, allowing sunlight to reflect off it, showing his metal gauntlet.

"You'll have to try harder than that, oh mighty worshipper of Jashin," he said, this time with a soft laugh.

Hidan screamed, charging the sitting man, pulling out his sword that he usually reserved for his ritual. The man stayed sitting, raising the scythe with one hand, parrying a flurry of sword strikes. He raised his other hand to his mouth and yawned.

He looked up into Hidan's eyes with a dangerous glint. "Done?"

"Hidan, down!" yelled Kakuzu, his hands held in a seal. Hidan reluctantly dove to the side as Kakuzu released his jutsu. "Futon: Atsugai (Wind Release: Pressure Damage)! Katon: Zukokku (Fire Release: Intense Pain)!" Two of Kakuzu's most powerful attacks were released from the masks that held hearts of Kakuzu's victims. He collected the hearts of the powerful people he killed and used their elemental affinities in battle.

While the wind jutsu and fire jutsu were quite formidable on their own, when combined, they created a truly devastating force. The fire generated from the katon jutsu was exponentially increased by the wind from the futon jutsu. The combined attacked blew up the small dojo into a smoking crater moments later.

Kakuzu stood calmly, his Iron Skin technique that he received from his earth affinity heart able to prevent any damage from the explosion. Hidan too was uninjured…well, you can't really be injured if you're immortal, can you?

"Fuck that bastard. He got what was coming to him," said Hidan as he spat to the side. Kakuzu only remained standing still, his eyes intently gazing at the spot the mysterious man was a second before. This seemed…too easy. The same annoyingly soft, sarcastic voice drifted to them from behind them.

"An impressive technique Kakuzu." The man softly clapped his two gauntlets together mockingly. "You really showed that dojo who was boss." The man, finally, stood in broad daylight. He wore a completely white trench coat, with golden pattern tracing intricately up the cloth. Several silver colored belts wrapped around his waist and stomach, keeping his coat closed. His hands were covered in two gauntlets which gleamed in the bright sun like two miniature suns. He had red hair and his face seemed to be locked in an eternal smirk. A silver and gold cross hung from his neck loosely, swaying in the wind. In such a pristine condition, one would have never thought that such a man had just completed a bloody massacre of over thirty men in the dojo. Not a hair was out of place, not a drop of blood showed on his blinding white coat, and not even a speck of dust marred his shining bronze gauntlets.

After taking in his opponent, Kakuzu calmly stepped forward. "You know of the Akatsuki, and I swear to you, you do NOT want to make us your enemy. Should we cross paths again and you show such insolence again, you will pay. Come Hidan. We'll let the boy have his prize this time." And with that, Kakuzu turned and walked into the adjacent forest. Hidan glowered at the man before he followed his partner.

The man watched uninterested as the two S-class missing-nin fled. He sighed thoughtfully at their parting words, but gave it no more thought. He had work to do. One target down…thousands to go.

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Shikamaru tightened his goggles around his head. He certainly didn't want to catch this virus. The virus was one that he'd heard of…somewhere. He wasn't really sure where, but as he had been meditating on his problem, the chemical formula popped into his head. He must have seen it somewhere and it ingrained in his memory. Regardless, it was the perfect one for the job. It was a virus that attacked the chakra pathways in a person. It wasn't fatal, but usually resulted in people losing their ability to use chakra for several days. The perfect solution to their problem. The virus was dangerous enough for the body to react with deadly force, but not dangerous enough to severely or permanently damage the Konoha populace. Shikamaru gently tilted a test tube, allowing its contents to slowly mix with the solution in the beaker. He released the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding as the two seemed to combine perfectly. Shikamaru then transferred the virus into a small device, which would explode, releasing the air-borne virus into Konoha after a countdown. Removing his goggles, he smiled to Naruto.

"All set Naruto," he said, barely able to keep the joy out of his usually monotonous drawl.

"Yatta! Konoha, we're gonna save you!" Naruto yelled, pumping his fist into the air. However, their joy was short lived. For what seemed to be the hundredth time, their plans were disturbed. A crash resounded through their makeshift lab as a fist crushed its way through the brick wall. A flash of red and pink told Naruto that Sakura had found them. Turning towards the threat, Naruto didn't realize when several kunai with explosive tags imbedded themselves between him and Shikamaru. An wall of fire erupted behind Naruto, sending him forward several feet, although by using chakra, he was able to keep his footing. However, Shikamaru wasn't quite as fortunate. He caught a face full of the explosion, sending him flying into the wall behind him. At the same time a large swarm of bugs surrounded him, making sure to avoid the flames that licked the now ruined lab.

Shaking the cobwebs out of his head, Shikamaru yelled at Naruto. "Naruto! The virus!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the small, delicate bomb fall from the table. Forming a Kage Bunshin immediately, he was able to prevent their hard work from going to waste. Sighing in relief, Naruto was on his feet in an instant and running, dodging vines coming from the floor, searching out his legs. Naruto leapt high into the air but was met by Lee, who appeared behind him, wrapping his bandages around Naruto's body, keeping him immobile. Naruto's eyes widened when Hinata and Neji appeared before him, their hands mere blurs as they sealed all his chakra points faster than the eye could see.

Naruto fell to the ground hard, but twisted at the last moment to absorb the impact, rather than let the bomb take any jarring hit. His entire body ached, and his chakra points were sealed. There was only one more option, and he lamented having to use it against his own friends, but he'd do what he had to do to save Konoha.

Drawing his twin swords, Hirameki and Fumetsu, Naruto called upon the demonic chakra within them, as well as the demonic chakra inside of him. Growling deeply, Naruto braced himself to have the demonic chakra flow through him and rip his tenketsu open forcibly. But nothing happened.

"What the hell…?" Naruto muttered as several vines tried to sneak up behind him. But Naruto noticed them at the last moment and managed to roll away. Naruto growled. His trump cards weren't working. Perfect time for the demons to decide they didn't want to help him. He'd have to rely on his own strength then.

Forcing his chakra to flow through his system, Naruto screamed as his blue chakra ripped through him, blowing tenketsu after tenketsu by sheer volume of chakra being forcibly pushed through the chakra coils. Falling to one knee, Naruto held one hand to his chest to check on the virus. Feeling that the small plastic device was still intact, he disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Shikamaru was pinned to the wall, his arms and legs held by vines and Kikai, as he watched Naruto escape with their last chance. "Troublesome." he muttered before Sakura walked over to him and touched his temple. And then, everything went black.

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Naruto frantically made his way across Konoha, bounding at a break neck speed from rooftop to rooftop. It was nighttime and he was able to move like a shadow, avoiding detection even from the several ANBU stationed around the village

"Shit shit shit!" he yelled as he stopped in a nearby ally as he caught his breath. Searching all around for potential threats, but finding none, Naruto pulled out the virus that Shikamaru himself had developed. "I'm gonna get you back Shika, right after I set this off."

Naruto slid the bomb back into his front pouch of his chunnin flak jacket as he leapt back onto the rooftops. He finally reached the place that Shikamaru had told him they should set it off. The Hokage Tower. Central hub of Konoha and the perfect place to release the virus. He landed on the roof and pulled out the plastic device, entranced by the green liquid that would cease this nightmare. As he held the device, something suddenly began to bother him. In the battle he'd just fought, Lee had wrapped his bandages around him. And filled with rage or not, Lee's signature move, the Primary Lotus, was one of his most devastating and most unique. Feeling those bandages wrap around him but not feeling the hard ground on his head moment later was surreal to Naruto. Something was off. Come to think about it…no one used any lethal moves against them. Ever. Sasuke hadn't used Chidori…Hinata and Neji could have just as easily blew up his internal organs rather than seal his tenketsu.

Naruto scowled. He felt a little lost without Shikamaru, the strategist of their team. Perhaps…perhaps beneath all that rage, they still could control themselves slightly. And he knew that none of his friends would ever try to kill him if they had any semblance of control over themselves…Yes. That made sense.

Looking down at the device he held in his hand, Naruto noticed another disturbing thing. His hand was trembling. Raising his hand to his face, he was surprised to find that his hand had a full on twitch which stopped when he brought his other hand over to stop it.

Naruto spun around, his fists held at his sides, ready to lash out. But no one was there. He could have sworn he heard someone. Glancing at his fists, he noticed that they continued to shake uncontrollably.

Naruto again spun around, swearing he heard someone say something. This time, standing in front of him, was Tsunade herself. She growled quietly as Naruto slid into his stance, holding out the small explosive device.

"Stay back. Do you understand that? Stay back," he said as he held the bomb out warding her away.

Tsunade stood still, not reacting as if she heard or not, but Naruto assumed that she understood the concept. Naruto glanced at the green vial. Something was so…captivating about that green liquid. It glowed eerily, illuminating Naruto's face with an unnatural green light. The green light revealed heavy bags under his eyes and rough patches of facial hair on his face.

Tsunade looked at him, tilting her head before she took a step towards him.

"I said stop! Wait! Wait!" he yelled, forming a fist against his forehead. "Just…Wait!"

Tsunade continued to walk forward steadily towards him. "Do you wanna die?" he yelled. "I said stop! Stop! Please! Stop!" he pleaded. He formed a rasengan in his left hand, holding it out in front of him as he pulled the precious virus closer to his body, protecting it from harm.

However, Tsunade ignored his pleas, walking slowly and steadily towards the blonde haired shinobi. As she approached, Naruto looked at his right hand, then to his left. The pure blue orb of chakra was a fitting counter for the sickly green virus that he held in his right hand. Memories flashed through his mind as he sank to his knees as she continued to walk towards him.

She stopped several feet in front of him, as Naruto breathed heavily, still maintaining his rasengan in this left hand. Naruto suddenly stood up, causing Tsunade to take a step back. Naruto looked into her eyes, determination in his eyes. He raised his spinning rasengan, and, before she could react, slammed both of his hands together, completely destroying the virus.

Tsunade dashed forward and touched Naruto's temple, and his world turned dark.

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"_Well, you see, here's my hypothesis. This virus is infecting them, but our bodies know when things aren't right."_

_His trump cards weren't working. Perfect time for the demons to decide they didn't want to help him. _

"_This is a special genjutsu Naruto. It's a self sustaining jutsu, which means that it feeds on your chakra to keep itself active. In fact, it's so hard to detect on someone that even the person that it's affecting sometimes doesn't know that they have a genjutsu on them."_

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He slid through the window like a wraith. Silently, he made his way to the cash register. Pulling a small piece of metal out of his mouth, the shadow gently picked the lock separating him and the money. Sighing in relief when he heard the familiar click of the lock, he turned the knob carefully, pulling out the drawer. His gaunt eyes widened in surprise at the amount in the drawer. Trembling slightly, two skinny hands ran themselves over the many paper bills that filled the cash register. This could feed him for months…

The man pulled his hands back quickly. He couldn't think like that. Take what you need and get out. He grabbed enough for him to eat for the next few days and stuffed them into the pockets of his tattered pants. He closed the drawer gently and slipped out the same way he came in, quickly heading towards his favorite alley. Sitting down with relief on a cardboard box, the man leaned against the brick wall and closed his eyes. However, his eyelids opened with a jolt when he heard a small cry. He stood up quickly and disappeared into the shadows as he searched for the cause of the sound.

He jumped from building top to building top, forcing his ears to pick up the smallest of noises. There was the sound again. He landed in a tree as he looked down onto the street. A girl was sprawled on the 

ground, cuts marring her otherwise beautiful face. The man looked up at the other figure, which was twice the size of the young girl. The large man stumbled forward to the girl who sobbed softly and picked her up off the ground. He was obviously very drunk, judging by how unstable he seemed when he walked. He pulled the girl up to his face and began to whisper into her ear, eliciting another soft cry from the girl. But before he could do any more, a sharp stone struck him in the eye, creating a fountain of blood and causing him to roar in pain. A second stone struck him in the other eye as the man fell to his knees.

"Please…stop…" the man moaned. The girl had fallen from his grip when the first stone hit him in the eye and was watching in horror. However, her vision was soon filled by black. She looked up to the face of her savior and saw two green eyes staring down at her. He had a black mask on, as well as a black hood. The rest of his body was also covered in black, making it very hard to distinguish him from the night around him. What she also noticed was the condition his clothes were in. Several holes and cuts marred his clothing and she could see where he had tried to repair them.

"Who…who are you?" she asked.

"I am…not important," he whispered as he picked up a small leaf from the ground. She looked at him in confusion as he seemed to be concentrating on the leaf very hard. But she let out a stifled gasp as the black clad man spun around, throwing the leaf at her tormentor. The leaf cut straight through his throat and actually shot out of the back of his neck as well.

"Have a nice night ma'am." And then he was gone.

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Naruto sat up quickly, his eyes flying open with shock. The hospital…that means he was right.

Genjutsu. Naruto shook his head. The most powerful genjutsu he'd ever encountered. So powerful that not even Kyuubi had been able to break it for him. Usually the fox kept him free from genjutsu, but for some reason, this time the fur ball hadn't done anything.

**I would have done something, but I can't remove genjutsus from you if you don't realize your under genjutsu. Brat.**

_Kyuubi? What the hell? I've been trying to contact you forever!_

However, Naruto's conversation was interrupted as a young nurse walked in holding a clipboard. She was engrossed in the paper as she didn't even look up at Naruto until she was right beside the bed. She put the clipboard down and yelped as she noticed two blue eyes looking at her questioningly.

Smoothing her dress out, the nurse coughed slightly, as if recovering from her recent shock.

"Uzumaki-san, I am glad to see you have awoken."

Naruto smiled at her. "I am too. You have no idea the hell I've been through these past few days."

As the nurse began to check his vitals, a familiar face peeked into the room.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura walked in and smiled at the blonde haired man. "Ah, Naruto-kun. It's good to see you're awake."

The young nurse bowed to Sakura before leaving the medical tests to the more experienced Sakura.

"Sakura…can you tell me what's been happening these last few days? From your perspective, that is. I'm still a bit…unsure about what's going on."

Sakura nodded, her face going grim. "You two returned from your mission, but seemed a bit…off. Well, at least from what Iruka and Tsunade said. They said it seemed like you two were afraid of them for some reason. We were sent out to find you and succeeded several times. You two were in some of your favorite places so it wasn't too hard. But every time we found you, you two seemed to be in your own world. Several times you'd actually start to fight us. You gave Hinata quite a scare when you almost hit her with a rasengan."

"I what?!" yelled Naruto.

"Calm down, you missed. Frankly, your combat abilities were severely dulled while you were under that genjutsu."

"Genjutsu…so I WAS right…"

"Yes Naruto. But it turns out you figured it out, so it all turned out alright!" Sakura said happily.

Naruto's face went serious as Sakura looked quizzically at him. "What's wrong Naruto?"

"The virus Sakura. What was the virus?"

Sakura looked at him, as if trying to decide what to say. "Well Naruto…let's just say…it was a fatal virus."

Naruto cursed as he leaned back into his pillow. "We almost killed Konoha Sakura!"

"But you didn't!" Sakura said, touching him lightly on the shoulder.

Naruto shook his head. "No, you don't understand Sakura. Konoha is the place I swore to protect. And if I can't…then I have to get stronger. Because I've failed, I have to do something to get stronger. Whether it's going out on another training trip or making a deal with this damn demon in my stomach."

"Naruto, stop."

"No Sakura! I almost destroyed the place I love the most! And it was my fault!"

"Naruto…you keep saying "I". But you have to realize, that you have us. The Kousou. We're here for you, because we know you're here for us. We watch each other's back and, when the need arises, fix each other's messes. You are not alone in protecting Konoha Naruto."

Naruto looked up into Sakura's piercing green eyes. He nodded slightly as he closed his eyes. "I understand Sakura. And…Thank you." And with that, Naruto fell asleep.

"You're welcome Naruto…" Sakura whispered as he squeezed his hand.

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"Orochimaru will see you now," said Kabuto to the sound nin before him. The sound nin nodded respectfully as he walked into the room and bowed.

"Ah. Misuke-kun. Why have you requested to meet me?"

"Orochimaru-sama, I have made a significant breakthrough. You see, I was able to steal one of the Kousou's swords."

Orochimaru suddenly began to pay more attention. "One of their swords? Which one?"

Misuke shook his head. "I do not know Orochimaru-sama, but the sword was actually a small trench knife that, after much analysis and experimentation, used some kind of shadow based chakra."

"Ah…the Nara then. So very careless of him to lose one of his trench knives. Continue."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. You see, we've been experimenting on these knives and found that the only chakra that they utilize is the unique chakra that the user has. However, we can mimic his chakra by using several different techniques. What I'm trying to say is…"

Orochimaru smiled as his tongue licked his lips. "We can use this sword."

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I'm back….during finals week no less. Whoda thunk it?

Hinata-

******Hyouden (Field of Eternal Snow)- Hinata's sword is ice based, showing her water and wind affinity. Hinata's sword has a sister sword: Hotaru, Ino's sword. Hyousetsu, in its released form, can, with a single touch, turn objects or even people into solid blocks of ice.**


	22. Chapter 21: Conflict

Sorry to those who read this chapter before I fixed it. I was trying something different to do scene breaks, but it didn't work.

Chapter 21: Conflict

The soft sound of approaching steps echoed down the dark hallways, lit only by the occasional burning torch. Two shadows stretched across the stone floor as two figures marched by with a purpose.

Orochimaru took long, confident strides following the man in charge of the facility down the narrow corridor. He had come to the research center run by one of his subordinates, Akame Misuke. He was a competent leader, and very adept in genjutsu and science. As he continued to follow Misuke, Orochimaru grinned at the prospect of using even half of a Kousou sword.

"Orochimaru-sama, we have arrived," said Misuke with a slight bow. Orochimaru entered the large lab room, noticing several sound nin working on various tasks.

"Where is the sword?" asked Orochimaru, barely keeping himself from shaking in anticipation. Misuke nodded and walked over to a large steel cube. He pressed his thumb against a pad and punched in several numbers into an adjacent computer. Orochimaru licked his lips as the steel cube opened on the top and a small platform arose. And atop the platform: Hanzatsu.

Orochimaru rushed over and grabbed the small knife, feeling its weight and even its power emanating from such a small source. "And you say you can get it to work?" he asked.

Minato nodded before motioning to several sound nin. He took the knife from Orochimaru and placed it in between two metal forks, holding it in the air. The forks then moved robotically into a glass cylinder where seals were drawn in a circle along its edges.

"Observe Orochimaru-sama." Misuke calmly pressed a button and purplish chakra ran across the forks into Hanzatsu. The sound nins in the room worked furiously on the computers and their efforts began to show. The purple chakra began to darken, and slowly, the knife began to accept more chakra. Misuke pressed a couple of buttons on the control panel and a small rock was dropped into the cylinder. It fell into the cylinder, where it began to slow down. It reached the center of the cylinder before the chakra entering the cylinder finally became so dark that it was completely black. At this point, the rock completely stopped moving and just hung in midair.

Orochimaru licked his lips as he watched wide eyed at the demonstration.

Misuke cleared his throat. "And now, the released form." He nodded to one of the sound nins in the room and began to type into the control panel at a very rapid rate. The chakra input began to be so great that sparks erupted from several of the nearby machines. But Orochimaru paid no attention to that. No, his attention was on the rock as it traveled _upwards_. Defying the laws of physics, the small rock began to move towards the top of the cylinder until it finally reached the top. Then, it was over. The chakra stopped flowing through Hanzatsu and the pebble fell to the bottom.

"You see, Orochimaru-sama, the sword has a time-altering effect. We can quite easily manipulate its unreleased form and _slow_ time; even stop time with some effort, but the released form we can only maintain for a few seconds. As you saw, it has the ability to _reverse_ in time, with enough chakra."

Orochimaru's yellow eyes gleamed in the dimly lit room. Yes…soon he would have the power to crush Konoha once and for all. And for that to happen, Kousou must be destroyed.

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Sunlight streamed through the window of the village inn, basking the single occupant of the most expensive room in a morning glow. The occasional chirp of birds pierced the otherwise peaceful scene, but the man did not seem to mind the mild annoyance. His eyes opened suddenly, flashing towards the now open window.

"Ohayo," he said softly as he rolled out of bed. He pulled his robe on and tied the knot in front. "Would you like a drink?" he asked as he poured himself a small saucer of sake. He picked up the saucer and turned around, facing the visitor who sat calmly on the dresser. His white trench coat basked in the morning sun and his bronze gauntlets shone brightly.

"It's eight in the morning, informant-san."

The man sipped his sake calmly and nodded after finishing. "I suppose you're correct. I do, however, appreciate you allowing me one last drink," he said as he lightly placed the saucer back where it belonged.

"Of course. I'm no monster."

With a soft chuckle, the informant reached into the desk drawer. "I know that bribing you is pointless," he said as he showed the white clothed man a large stack of money. "But I would like to hire you."

The red haired man raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think that I will fulfill my task after you have…passed?"

"I know a lot about you…Shiranai Genju. And I know that you're bored. I assure you that the target I'm assigning is...worth your time."

Genju narrowed his eyes. He knew his name... "Continue."

"For one-hundred thousand yen, I hire you, Shiranai Genju to kill Hidan of the Akatsuki."

Genju smiled. "Kill? For a man claiming to know so much, you know very little about the man you want me to kill. He cannot be killed."

The informant smiled before turning to pour another saucer of sake. "Ah, and in that lies the true entertainment. Can you, the great Shiranai Genju, wielder of the ultimate jutsu, kill a man who cannot be killed?"

"I can do anything," Genju replied quickly, his temper flaring slightly. "But I want two-hundred thousand yen."

The informant turned around, sipping his sake. "I anticipated you would do that. What good is money to me now?" he asked as he tossed a second stack of money notes onto the bed.

Genju sighed. "Then our transaction is complete. Goodbye." He leveled his palm at the man calmly, turning his face away slightly. A bright ball of chakra appeared at his palm and erupted into a narrow beam, burning a clean hole through his chest. He fell to the ground, eyes glazed over in death.

Genju turned and leapt out of the building, sparing a glance to the forest behind the inn. An enormous crater had replaced the previously lush forest. The trees had been completely incinerated and the dirt itself had melted into a cracked surface of brittle rock. Genju smirked and continued on his way out of the village.

Yes, he'd uphold his end of the bargain. But first…he had another bounty to collect.

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Naruto sighed as he sat in the waiting room outside the Hokage's office. He idly glanced at a landscape picture of the village hanging from the wall as he sighed. Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Chouji had been in there for a long time. He furrowed his brow as he thought about his relationship with Tenten. Lately, it had seemed…strained. Naruto tapped the side of his face as he tried to figure out how to approach this problem.

However, within seconds, the twin oak doors of the Hokage's office swung open. The four Kousou members marched out. Before Naruto could say a thing to Tenten, the four disappeared in four matching flash steps.

Looking quizzically at their retreating forms, Naruto was interrupted someone clearing their throat behind him.

"Eh? Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya stood in front of him, arms crossed and looking very serious.

"Come on Naruto, we've got a hearing with Tsunade," he said as he turned and walked towards the still open doors of the Hokage's office.

"Ehh?! What do you mean 'we'? I have no clue what's going on!"

Jiraiya, however, ignored his young pupil as he entered the office. Naruto watched in confusion as Jiraiya disappeared. "Ehhhhhh?! Hey, wait for me!" he yelled as he ran into the room, slamming the doors behind him.

"Oh good, the idiot's here," Tsunade said rubbing her forehead and rummaging through several documents.

Naruto gaped. "EHHHHH?! What the hell's going on here?! What did I ever do to you Tsunade-obaachan?!"

Tsunade looked up at Naruto, smiling slightly. "Sorry about that Naruto, I'm just a bit stressed. We just sent out a joint Kousou mission to deal with a very sensitive mission."

Naruto perked at the sound of the word 'mission'. "What kind of mission?"

"Classified," Tsunade said in a bored tone of voice. "Now onto this meeting. You said you had something you needed to tell me Jiraiya?"

"Hai. It's come to my attention that one of my informants has been killed."

Tsunade signed a paper and placed it on her 'finished' stack. "Ah, a member of your infamous spy network. How does this affect us?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "My informants are ultra-secret. In fact, most of them I don't even know their true names, only aliases. For someone to have tracked one down and killed him…this is a serious threat to us. If the rest of my informants are found and killed…"

Tsunade looked up. "I understand. What exactly do you want to do about it?"

"We need to find who killed my informant and return the favor."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "I just sent out four Kousou. How many more do you want me to send on this mission?"

"Naruto's squad and the trackers."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, glancing out the window. "That will leave only a third of the Kousou here…and if something comes up, Konoha could be extremely vulnerable."

Jiraiya nodded. "I understand, but this is extremely important. Once we eliminate the threat, we will return immediately. The window of vulnerability will be small, and if we hear of an attack, we will return immediately."

Tsunade rested her chin on her hands, staring at Jiraiya. "Go. You have an hour to leave before I change my mind."

"Arigato, Tsunade. Come on Naruto, let's go."

Naruto shook his head as he followed Jiraiya out of the building. Why was he always involved in the trouble?

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"Zetsu is dead," Pein said plainly.

"What?!" yelled Kisame, dropping Samehada in surprise. "How did that happen?"

Pein glanced at Deidara, who sheepishly made his way into the center of the Akatsuki's makeshift circle.

"He…err…was struck by lightning," he said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

Tobi jumped in front of Deidara, striking a pose. "No way! Tobi unlocked his ultimate bloodline and summoned the lightning! Shazam!" he yelled, punching the ground.

Deidara grabbed Tobi by the shoulder and led him back behind him. "Right…anyway…"

"We have a need," Pein said, cutting Deidara off. "Zetsu was our messenger between teams, but now, without him in the picture, we will simply be four two-man teams, separate from each other. We must decide on someone to replace Zetsu."

"Tobi will do it! Ooh! Ooh! Pick Tobi!" squealed Tobi as he raised his hand furiously in the air.

Itachi stared at Tobi before turning his back to the circle of S-class ninja. "Being the messenger for Akatsuki is not within my talent set. I refuse."

Deidara spoke up as well, afraid that he would have to do the menial task of being the messenger boy for Akatsuki. "I…uh, have to babysit Tobi. Unless…any of you want to pair up with hi-"

"Not Deidara," said Pein with finality. Deidara grinned as he waved at Tobi, who was currently waving his hand madly in Pein's face.

"Pick meeeee!"

"Tobi, we're out of here, yeah!" Tobi turned around and followed obediently after Deidara.

"Ok Deidara-sempai! Are you gonna teach me a new move? Ooh! How about Henge no jutsu?!"

"You don't know Henge?!"

As the two voices drifted off, Pein released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Kakuzu and Hidan are not suited for being the mediator of our squad either, and Konan is too valuable for this task."

Kisame counted his fingers as he prayed he hadn't counted right. "Don't tell me…"

"Yes. Use your water traveling abilities to communicate with the Akatsuki teams. Itachi will act as a solo member. You may leave."

"Ahhh, fuck," muttered Kisame as he stalked out of the dark cave. Itachi followed impassively as Pein turned to Konan.

"Thank God they didn't pick me."

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Naruto leaned against the gates of Konoha watching the people passing by as he waited for his teammate. The laziest bum in all of Konoha, surpassing even the legendary late Copy Nin.

Kiba and Shino sat on a bench nearby with Akamaru lying faithfully at their feet as Naruto tapped his foot impatiently. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked up.

Jiraiya frowned. "Where's your teammate?" he asked, a bit of worry entering his voice.

Naruto growled in annoyance as he crossed his arms. "Late. As usual. Kage bunshin no jutsu!" he yelled as he slammed his hands together.

Ten Narutos popped into existence and dashed off towards Shikamaru's house, pushing their way through the thick crowds.

_5 Minutes Later_

"Oy! Put me down! Troublesome! Let me sleeeeep!" The procession of Narutos arrived at the gates and disappeared, unceremoniously dropping Shikamaru to the ground in a dusty, wrinkled heap.

Seeing that Shikamaru had no intention of getting up, Jiraiya reached down and lifted Shikamaru by the collar, pulling him to eye level. "You are late."

Shikamaru leveled his gaze at the legendary sannin. "And YOU, are troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. "I guess this can't be helped. What's the mission?"

Jiraiya released Shikamaru, who landed gracefully on his butt, and turned to the rest of the team. "The mission is simple. One of my informants has been compromised and assassinated by an unknown person. We will move out to the village where I make contact with him, investigate the area, and proceed from there. Our target is the assassin. Any questions?"

The group didn't say anything so Jiraiya continued. "Kiba first, then Naruto, Shikamaru, me, and bringing up the rear is the Aburame, got it?"

"Yeah yeah, let's get this over with," Shikamaru said, waving off Jiraiya dismissively.

Jiraiya rubbed his forehead as the group got into formation. "I feel a headache coming…"

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His money he'd stolen had run out far more quickly than he'd hoped. It was time to strike again, lest he starve to death.

He slipped from shadow to shadow, all but invisible to the civilians who passed mere feet from him. His stomach growled loudly as a small girl passed by, causing her to jump at the sound. He leapt up to the rooftops before the girl could identify the source of the sound, but after the girl had run off, the black clad man admonished himself for being so careless.

As he moved through an alley, he heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed. Instinct alone kept his head on his shoulders as he crouched suddenly. The sound of a blade whistled over his head before colliding with the stone wall in a shower of sparks. The black clad man jumped back several feet before facing his assaulter.

"I have no money and no quarrel with you. Please, let me go."

His attacker simply grinned at him, baring his teeth menacingly. "Yes, that's right scum, beg for your life. You don't even deserve to live you pathetic excuse for a man," he said with a laugh. "What's your name scum?"

"Gento…and yours?" Gento replied respectfully. His eyes had noticed the small insignia marked on his assaulter's left shoulder. The symbol of a dragon, designating that this man was a member of the elite peacekeeping force. But why was this man attacking him?

"Hmph, trash like you don't deserve to know who killed them. You'll just be a notch on my sword in a few minutes!"

Gento tensed as the sword wielding man dashed towards him, his sword coming up in an upwards slash. It was dodged, as well as the subsequent follow up strikes, frustrating the attacker.

"Stay still!" he yelled as he plunged his katana towards the black clad man's stomach. He dodged yet again and ended up within his attacker's guard. The man's eyes widened as Gento seemingly appeared in front of him. Gento spat into his eyes, and kicked him in the stomach before hopping back several paces.

The man doubled over and rubbed his eyes. "You'll pay for that trash! A street urchin like you has no chance against me! I'm the head of the elite police! And this town has no need for scum like you!" he snarled as he looked up at Gento, rage filling his eyes. "You're trash, and trash has to be taken out!" The man's katana suddenly erupted into flames, and the blade glowed brightly in the dim lighting of the alley. Gento's eyes widened as the blade that had been attacking him suddenly became all the more deadly.

"I see your fear! I see you want to run! Go! Run! I'll give you a head start, but I will catch you!" he laughed as Gento simply narrowed his eyes. "I am the wielder of Sun Country's legendary sword! I take the power of the Sun itself and turn it against trash like you!" he laughed as he raised his blade into the air, drunk with power.

The man darted forward, his blade scraping against the wall, leaving a fiery trail upon everything it touched. Gento dodged as the blade came down on his left side, but barely. His black, ragged clothes caught on fire, and he quickly patted his shoulder down before the flames could spread. However, the small distraction cost him, as his opponent took that opportunity to connect a backhanded fist to Gento's face, propelling him into the air.

Gento landed on his back, dust from the filthy ground shooting into the air. He touched his nose and winced. It was definitely broken.

"My name is Sato Tadashi." Gento looked up at Tadashi incredulously, who stood above him with the flaming sword raised up, ready to be brought down on the defenseless Gento. "You should know the name of the man who killed you," he said with a vicious smile.

As Tadashi brought down his flaming sword, Gento lashed out with his foot, catching Tadashi in the crotch. Feeling the satisfying crunch of his heel crushing the Tadashi's privates, Gento rolled to the side as the blade impacted with the stone where his head had just been. Tadashi dropped to the ground on his knees, gasping heavily. Gento swiftly picked up the flaming sword and put the man out of his misery, without saying a word. The sword not only cut flesh, but also burned, as Tadashi's headless body began to burn.

As he faced his fallen opponent, the sound of a single man clapping reverberated through the alley. Gento spun around and hurled the flaming sword in the direction of the sound.

The sound of metal upon metal rang out as a bronze gauntlet caught the flaming blade in midair. There was no sign that the fire was hurting his hand, nor sign that the sword had even scratched his shining gauntlets. "My my, aren't we high strung?" said a mocking voice.

"Are you with that man?" Gento asked cautiously. Gento prepared to kill this man as well. Whatever it took, he would survive. He finally caught a glimpse of the strange man who had appeared at the mouth of the alley. He leaned lazily against the wall and shadow covered most of his face. However, Gento would never forget his clothes. His coat was whiter than anything he'd ever seen, and his gauntlets glowed, the light from the flaming sword reflecting off the golden gloves as if they were flaming as well. Two silver belts made their way around his waist and stomach, and a large gold necklace hung from his neck.

"With that fool? Ha, I'd rather be caught dead than with him. No no, I was going to kill him and take the bounty on his head, but it seems that I've been beaten to the punch by another bounty hunter."

Gento furrowed his brow. "Bounty hunter?"

"Oh yes, Sato Tadashi, age twenty-eight, wielder of Sun Country's prized sword, " Genju said, holding the flaming sword in front of his face in mild amusement, "Tenshoukou." Genju pushed himself off the wall and walking towards the ragged and dirty man in black.

"He…he attacked me. I had no choice," Gento said, muttering to himself as he silently slid a kunai into his hand. _Two more steps and a kunai will be in your throat…_

Genju suddenly stopped. "Oho, no need to apologize to me. But, if you're not going to claim the bounty…do you mind?"

Gento said nothing and Genju shrugged and picked up Tadashi's head. "I see. Here's a little something for your trouble then," he said as tossed a gold coin at Gento, who caught let it fall to his feet. "Perhaps you should think about a change in…occupation," Genju said with a grin. "Bounty hunter would suit you." Genju turned to walk away. "Oh, how rude of my. My name is Genju. Shiranai Genju." And with that, he disappeared.

Gento bent down and picked up the gold coin, slipping it into his pocket. "Pleased to meet you. My name is….Shiranai Gento."

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"Holy smokes."

Shikamaru knelt down at the edge of the crater they'd found in the small farming village. Something like this was definitely not natural. They had asked around and found out that there hadn't been any disturbance all day, the forest had simply erupted into light and disappeared. What remained was the large crater which no one could explain.

Naruto stood idly by with Jiraiya, who was standing next to him, arms crossed and face grim. Kiba and Akamaru were sniffing around, trying to find a trail, but the burnt smell of wood and earth was interfering with their acute sense of smell. Shino had already canvassed the area with his kikai bugs and was talking quietly to a single bug who had perched itself on his finger. Shikamaru had settled into his thinking pose as he glanced around at his surroundings carefully.

Naruto sighed. "Ma, Ero-sennin, what can I do?" he asked. So far, he'd been pretty useless. After all, he wasn't a genius like Shikamaru, or a tracker like Shino and Kiba. Why had he even been chosen to come on this mission at all?

Jiraiya humphed and closed his eyes. "Nothing." At Naruto's wide eyes, Jiraiya looked down at his young protégé. "Nothing for now, that is. For now, we leave this mission up to these three. When we finally do track down the bastard who did this, that's when you and I will get to have some fun."

Naruto grinned and pounded his fist into his hand. "Right! We'll show them how great of a team we are, right Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya laughed as he tussled Naruto's hair. "Sure kid, just don't get in the way."

Naruto growled in annoyance, but suddenly, Shikamaru stood up. "Oy, look at this," he said, motioning for everyone to come over. "There's a hole here."

"So?" Naruto said, quizzically.

"So…this is probably where the attack came from."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "Such a small hole for such a devastating attack…who could be capable of such a thing?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Whoever it was, their attack came from inside this in, judging by this hole."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, pounding his fist into his hand. "Right! So let's go investigate!"

The group entered the small in, where other investigators had assembled, though only a few. The murder had occurred several days ago and in the small village, it was old news. As they followed one of the employees of the small inn, the group continued to be on high alert. Shino's bugs buzzed continually as they searched for chakra signatures in the inn, while Kiba and Akamaru sniffed the air every few seconds as if a new scent would present itself after only a few steps.

The employee opened the door and allowed them in, before hurrying away. It was bad luck to be in a room where a murder happened, and the presence of ninja only complicated the matter. The civilian inhabitants of the village knew, where there was ninja, there was trouble.

The second the door slid shut behind them, Shikamaru walked over to the far wall, his fingers outlining an identical hole in the wall. Glancing towards the opposite wall, he found no hole.

"This is obviously where the attack came from. Judging by the hole, and the hole outside, the assassin was standing…here," Shikamaru said, pointing to a spot on the ground near the drawers. Closing his eyes in concentration, Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "That means…that the informant was standing here…" he said as he walked over near the night stand. "Sake…" he muttered.

Jiraiya shrugged. "So? Maybe he wanted a last drink before he died?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Perhaps. But maybe…" Shikamaru trailed off, turning around and opening the drawer in the small nightstand. Pulling out the sake bottle, he uncorked it.

"You want a drink too Shikamaru?" asked Jiraiya, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe during our celebration. Your informant is obviously quite skilled in what he does, and that's gathering information. Most likely, he knew that the assassin was coming." Shikamaru turned the bottle upside down. A small, rolled up paper slid out of the mouth of the bottle into Shikamaru's waiting hand. "A message from beyond the grave."

Jiraiya nodded. "Smart. He probably had a few notes hidden around the room that he would clue us in on, depending on who the assassin was."

Shikamaru ignored him, instead unraveling the small slip of paper and reading it carefully.

"Well?" asked Jiraiya, a little put off that he'd been ignored. "What's it say?"

"Have you ever heard of someone named… Shiranai Genju?" Jiraiya twitched. "I'll assume that's a yes."

Jiraiya coughed into his hand before beginning. "Yes, I do know of a Shiranai Genju. He's…infamous, I suppose you could say. One of the strongest bounty hunters out there. Rumor has it that he's got an "ultimate jutsu". I guess that would explain the damage outside."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "I think it's safe to say that this Shiranai Genju was the killer, based on the clues left here by your informant. This brings us to the next part of our mission though. Tracking down and eliminating the threat."

Kiba stepped forward. "I've got his scent." Akamaru barked. "Oh, and Akamaru too."

Shino adjusted his glasses. "Based on the chakra residue from outside, I too can identify this "Shiranai Genju" should we run across him."

Jiraiya nodded. "Right. Now we begin phase two of the mission. Finding, and getting information from this Genju character. We need to know who hired him to kill my informant. If they can find one of my informants, who's to know if they can find them all."

Naruto pounded his fist into his hand. "Right! Let's go!"

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Neji stood across the clearing, his hair softly blowing in the wind that cut through the tall grass. Lee stood at his side, already set in his Goken stance. Neji sighed and slid into his Jyuuken style, feeling the chakra in his body flow through his arms and into his fingers.

Neji glanced to the side, catching a glimpse of Chouji and Tenten. Chouji had unsealed several of his weapons, and Tenten stood behind him, using the mountain of a man as a protective shield. Sighing in exasperation, Neji looked back in front of him.

Two figures stood before them, completely still, only their robes rustling in the wind. At last, their mission could begin.

_Flashback_

"_It's time for Kousou to begin their mission!" Tsunade said, her eyes intently gazing at the four before her. "Kousou was created as a counter-Akatsuki group, and now is the time for you to begin Kousou's true purpose!"_

_Tsunade shuffled through several papers on her desk. "We've gotten word that two Akatsuki members will be at the border of Fire Country, near the Temple of Fire. Your mission is to go there, find the Akatsuki, and eliminate them."_

_Silence filled the room. Even the ever boisterous Lee had been rendered silent by the task set before them. Never before had they actually sought out the Akatsuki for the purpose of destroying the members of the evil group, only to stop them from accomplishing their goals._

_Tsunade raised her voice. "Your opponents are S-class missing nin! They will show you no mercy, so you cannot show any yourself! They will not hold back, so neither can you! You will have a numbers advantage! Use that advantage, and work as a unit to defeat the Akatsuki members! Now go!" _

_Tsunade yelled, slamming her hands down onto her desk. The four before her vanished in four identical blurs._

_Tsunade sighed and fell back into her chair. "Good luck…"_

"Hello…Kousou," said one of the figures in the black and red robes. Neji swallowed before calming his nerves. Glancing towards the Lee and the other cell of Kousou, he made eye contact with the three others before looking back towards the two figures.

"Kousou…move out."

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Man, long time since my last update, and for that, I apologize. There have been multiple parts in the last few chapters that I've really just gotten stuck on.

On another note, I've got a couple chapters of a new story written; hopefully I'll be able to start the new fic up in a few weeks. Here's to hoping.


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